Ripples, Arc I: Fate
by jazzpha
Summary: AU. Naruto's mother chooses to sacrifice herself to seal the Kyuubi instead of his father, a decision that changes everything. Living on as Hokage, Minato tries to stop the Uchiha Massacre... only to find that some things are fated to happen.
1. Breaking Down The Walls

**Ripples, Arc I: Fate**

**Chapter 1:** Break Down the Walls

* * *

As the two men walked slowly side-by-side under the gentle light of the morning sun, the older of the pair turned to his companion and frowned, accentuating the many wrinkles in his face.

"You're nervous, Yondaime-sama," he said seriously. "Why?"

"For the last time, Sarutobi-san," Minato Namikaze replied wearily, "please don't call me '-sama' anything. It makes me feel old. Besides, you were the Hokage before me; there's no need for you to be so humble."

Sarutobi's frown shifted into a small smirk, the old man still enjoying this exchange even after all the years they'd done it.

"Ah, but there _is_ a need to set a precedent for the others to follow, Yondaime-sama," he said with satisfaction, the smirk on his face only growing as he saw Minato's face fall even further. "If I set an example that such informality is acceptable, the hierarchy of this village will fall apart completely. I, for one, refuse to have that on my shoulders, Yondaime-sama!" he finished in a crescendo of feigned righteous indignation, and the Hokage next to him deflated completely.

"Fine, fine; you win," he admitted. "Again. But to answer your question, Sarutobi-san, I'm not nervous. Just… justifiably tense."

"What do you think they're going to do, Yondaime-sama?" Sarutobi countered. "Assassinate you in broad daylight? Even if they could pull that off, the Uchiha aren't _that_ foolish."

"But they are desperate, Sarutobi-san," Minato replied, his blue eyes gazing off into the distance and into the past, at memories only he could see. "And if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it is never to underestimate the strength of a desperate human being."

Sarutobi fell silent at that, knowing without even needing to look at Minato's face that the Yondaime was thinking of Kushina, his dead wife. The woman who had sacrificed everything for the sake of their child, up to and including her immortal soul.

"We're here, Yondaime-sama," he spoke up again as the pair of ninja reached the gates to the Uchiha clan's section of Konoha. "Just relax, will you? We have the upper hand in these negotiations, and I'm sure even Fugaku will listen to reason once you give him your proposal. Like I said, he might be as stubborn as an oxen, but he's not a fool."

Minato merely nodded, and the current and former Hokage entered into the Uchiha village in silence. They could feel the eyes of the villagers on them as they passed through; some looked on in fear, some in awe and others in thinly veiled hate.

"Oh, good morning, Hokage-sama!" a loud voice rang out suddenly in the silent street as Sarutobi and Minato approached the local Uchiha bakery's storefront. "Would you care for something to eat on this fine day?"

Minato smiled at the older man's usual sales pitch, but shook his head.

"Not this time, Teyaki-san," he answered. "I have some business to attend to. Give my best to Uruchi-san!"

The bakery's owner just smiled and nodded as the two powerful ninja continued on their way, proud to have someone like the Yondaime Hokage as a regular customer: even if it damaged the business he got from his fellow clansmen.

"What?" he groused at the young children who gave him dirty looks, no doubt because of his open support of the Hokage. "Get out of here, all of you! Go help your mothers, or train, or something!"

The crowd of young ones dispersed, leaving the baker to open up shop in peace.

Sarutobi and Minato continued on, passing through empty streets until they finally came upon the house they had been seeking. Two young men were practicing _shuriken_ combat in the middle of the path, but stopped what they were doing and immediately stood at attention as the Hokage approached.

"Hokage-sama," the shorter of the two men spoke first, unruly black hair crowning his head as the red orbs of his _Sharingan_ faded slowly back into black. "We weren't expecting you so early. And Sarutobi-sama," he added, recognizing the former Hokage's face beneath the brim of his wide hat, "we weren't expecting you at all. Please forgive our appearances."

"Think nothing of it, Shisui," Minato answered calmly, the kind smile on his face growing slightly as he looked over at Shisui's sparring partner. "And how are you this morning, Itachi?"

"I am well, Hokage-sama," the heir to the Uchiha clan answered quietly. "And yourself?"

"Tired," Minato said, "but fine otherwise. Is your father in?"

Itachi nodded once, before turning to face the entrance to his house.

"Right this way, Hokage-sama."

Itachi led the way as the trio entered into the main room of the house, where both Itachi's father Fugaku and mother Mikoto were waiting.

"Good morning, Fugaku-san, Mikoto-san," Sarutobi said swiftly, cutting off any shocked remarks Fugaku might have been ready to make concerning their early arrival. "Might we trouble you for a moment of your time?"

Fugaku nodded abruptly, speaking his first words of the meeting to his wife.

"Please go and put some tea on for our guests," he said, and Mikoto left after quick bows to both Minato and Sarutobi. "Itachi," Fugaku continued sharply as his son made to leave the room, "stay here. You are to be head of this clan after my death; it's time you started learning how to run it."

Itachi returned from the doorway and knelt on a _tatami_ mat, giving the Hokage an apologetic look for his father's brusqueness.

"So," Fugaku said sharply after a moment, "what is it that you wish to discuss, Hokage, that was so important you saw fit to bring along such a powerful bodyguard?"

Itachi stiffened at the blatant show of disrespect, inwardly mortified, but Minato stilled him with a look before speaking.

"Sarutobi-san is not here as my bodyguard," the Hokage answered calmly, "but as another party in these negotiations. Nothing more. He simply wishes to demonstrate to you that there are others besides me who wish for the division between the Uchiha and the rest of Konoha to end."

"Oh, really now?" Fugaku snapped back as Mikoto entered with a tray full of teacups, leaving once again after putting them down between the four ninja. "And how exactly do you propose ending a division that has persisted between the descendants of the Senju and the Uchiha for generation after generation, Hokage?"

"Simply," Minato retorted, taking a sip of tea and putting the cup back down before continuing. "By completely re-integrating the Uchiha clan with the rest of the village, and giving the Head of the Police Force a seat on Konoha's governing Council."

Sarutobi almost spit out his tea in shock at the Hokage's words; that was nothing like what the original proposal had said. He could only imagine how Danzo and the other Elders would react to the Hokage going behind their backs like this, and the picture was not a pretty one.

"Are you serious?" Fugaku exclaimed in surprise, as shocked as Sarutobi was. "How did you get the Elders to agree with this?"

"I didn't, Fugaku-san," Minato said, his blue eyes sharp as he stared down the Head of the Uchiha clan. "This is purely my idea, but I believe the Elders can be made to understand the logic behind it."

"Which is?" Fugaku asked, unable to see very much that was logical about such a radical decision. At best, it would give the embittered Uchiha a renewed position of power on the hope that they wouldn't use it to their advantage, and at worst it gave the Uchiha the perfect position to launch a coup d'état from. What did the Hokage possibly hope to gain from this?

Minato sighed, taking another sip of his tea.

"I might be young by the standard of the others who have held the position of Hokage, Fugaku-san," he said after a moment, "but please don't mistake that youth for ignorance. I know exactly what the Uchiha are planning, and I can tell you that your rebellion has no chance of succeeding whatsoever."

Fugaku was struck into silence at the words, and stayed still for a few heartbeats before giving Itachi a decidedly murderous glare.

"I can assure you, Fugaku-san," Minato broke in, "that Itachi had nothing to do with my obtaining knowledge of your plot. I don't need a spy to tell me what people are thinking, and especially not when your clansmen wear their hatred for me on their sleeves. Just know that if you try to revolt, I will destroy you and as much of your clan as I must to protect Konoha."

Fugaku forced his tongue to work again after a few more moments of heavy silence, and when he spoke again his tone was much more subdued than it had been earlier.

"I'm listening, Hokage," the Uchiha head said in a low voice, his glare relaxed from blazing to merely smoldering. "What's the logic behind this plan of yours?"

"Danzo and the other Elders have been pushing for a complete and utter extermination of your entire clan, Fugaku," Minato explained. "Down to the last child."

"What!?" Fugaku shouted, horrified. "How could they—"

"But as it happens," the Hokage cut him off sternly, his gaze softening somewhat, "I'm not a supporter of genocide, regardless of what justification it's given. So I'm giving you this alternative, Fugaku-san, because I believe that wounds from the War we just finished are still healing. Because I believe that the last thing we need right now is to stand divided, considering the power of your clan. Rather than raising the banners of revolt, don't you think it would better for both your clan, and Konoha as a whole, to cooperate with us?"

"It will take more than reintegration to heal the wounds and indignities that have been inflicted on our clan over the years, Hokage," Fugaku replied, "but I am willing to consider this proposal of yours, in light of the alternative."

Minato smiled, finishing off his cup of tea with a contented sigh.

"I am glad to hear that, Fugaku-san," he said, rising from his seated position as he did so. "I truly am. I don't expect an answer from you immediately, of course, but I would like to hear one within a week's time. I plan on using that week to reason with the Elders, so that by the time you have reached your decision there will be no further objections from my side either. Thank you for your time, Fugaku-san. Sarutobi-san, I think we're done here."

"Itachi," Fugaku said to his son, "please show these gentlemen out."

Itachi nodded and got to his feet, and the three of them walked swiftly back outside. When Itachi was certain that they were alone and wouldn't be overheard, he turned to the Hokage with a dark look in his eyes.

"With all due respect, Hokage, sir," he said, "you didn't have to cover for me back there."

"I know, Itachi," Minato answered, "but I did anyway. I know how much of a burden being in ANBU is, and I try to look out for my subordinates in whatever way I can. Not to mention that the sacrifice you're making is an extraordinary one, and it would be shameful for me not to honor it somehow."

Itachi half-bowed to his commander and nodded to Sarutobi before making his way back inside, leaving the current and former Hokage alone again.

"Where the hell did that come from, Yondaime-sama?" Sarutobi asked, incredulous. "Do you realize how little of a chance there is that the Elders will ever get behind this?"

"Yes, Sarutobi-san, I do," Minato answered, his voice weary again. "But to be totally honest, I don't care. You know that was the only solution to the problem that didn't end with the entire Uchiha clan butchered; admit it."

"I never said it wasn't," Sarutobi said grudgingly. "But that still doesn't change the fact that there's no way Danzo would accept something like reintegration, on top of giving the Uchiha a seat on the Council. And that's not even taking the other two Elders in to account; I've known Homura and Kotaru since we were children, and they're so stubborn at times that they make you look like a pushover, Yondaime-sama."

"Still, I would rather at least try my method and see it fail than blindly consign the population of an entire clan to execution."

"And speaking of that," Sarutobi continued undaunted, "why did you tell Fugaku about Danzo's plan? Now, even if your compromise does pass, there's no way the Uchiha don't hold Danzo's extremism against the Elders."

"Fugaku won't say anything, Sarutobi-san," Minato countered, "because, like you said, he's not a fool. He knows that I was serious when I said I would destroy as much of the Uchiha clan as I had to in order to keep Konoha safe. And he also knows that there's no way he could possibly stop me from doing so."

"Well, Yondaime-sama," Sarutobi said tiredly, knowing that he wasn't going to get the Hokage to change his mind, "I just pray that you're right. Shall we take the fast way back this time?"

"Sure," Minato agreed, forming a simple hand seal and focusing his _chakra_. "God knows what trouble Naruto's gotten himself into now; even with Iruka looking after him when I'm not around, that kid's a handful."

"I wonder who he gets that from," Sarutobi commented with a smirk, vanishing in a puff of smoke before the Hokage could make any kind of comeback. Minato just smiled and shook his head, vanishing as well a moment later.

* * *

"What's wrong, Naruto? Out of breath already?"

The nine-year-old _Jinchuriki_ shot his friend an angry glare, straightening up and getting back into a fighting stance.

"You wish, Sasuke," he spat back, beginning to form a sequence of hand seals. Sasuke was faster than him, though, and had completed a sequence of his own longer than Naruto's before Naruto had even finished his.

"_Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"_

The fireball that emerged from the space in front of Sasuke's mouth was minuscule compared to the normal size of the technique, but it was enough to force Naruto to roll out of the way.

"When are you going to learn not to try and use _Ninjutsu_ and hand-seals against me, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, a slightly smug edge to his voice as his friend rose stubbornly to his feet. "You've always been too slow with them, you know."

"Fine, Sasuke," Naruto said in a low voice, beginning to focus as much _chakra_ as he could into his forehead. "You're right, my seals are too slow. But what about _this_!?"

The _Jinchuriki_ broke into a sprint, head down and obviously intending to head butt Sasuke square in the chest. But this time, not even being able to tell what was coming could aid the young Uchiha: Naruto was moving too fast for him to avoid, and there was no time to launch a counter _Ninjutsu_ either.

"Crap!" Sasuke hissed, gritting his teeth and wondering if this was going to be the end of his undefeated record in their sparring matches.

But right before Naruto's head slammed into Sasuke's chest, the _Jinchuriki_ stopped short and the _chakra_ in his forehead vanished. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise as he moved his feet frantically without moving forward, until he realized that someone was holding on to the back of his orange jacket and keeping him running in place.

"Geez, Iruka-sensei," Naruto whined as he stopped trying to move and turned around to face his teacher, "what gives? Who's side are you on here?!"

"I'm not on anyone's side, Naruto," Iruka answered calmly. "I just know that there was enough _chakra_ in your forehead to crack one, or _several_, of Sasuke's ribs. Is that really what you wanted to do?"

Naruto was silent for a moment, before a mischievous smirk twisted the corners of his mouth.

"Actually," he said, "it kinda was."

Sasuke just chuckled at the implied threat, while Iruka sighed and shook his head.

"Man," he lamented, "I can't even have breakfast in peace with the two of you around."

"Trust me when I say, Iruka," a new voice broke in, "that your sacrifice is deeply appreciated."

Iruka, Sasuke and Naruto looked over to see Minato approaching, a smile on his face in spite of the tired look in his eyes.

"Hokage-sama," Iruka said quickly, saluting. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop these two earlier."

"Don't worry about it, Iruka," Minato said with a wave of his hand. "They have to learn to fight at some point anyway, and it might as well be against each other. Sasuke-kun, you might want to go back home for a while; your brother has some news to share with you."

Sasuke nodded and turned to Naruto, a playful glint in his black eyes.

"That was our first tie, Naruto," he said. "Keep training, and maybe one of these days you'll actually beat me."

"You little—" Naruto growled, but Sasuke vanished before the _Jinchuriki_ could finish his reply.

"Naruto," his father said easily, "don't let yourself get worked up by your opponent's taunts. All that does is distract you."

"Well how am I supposed to ignore him, dad!?" Naruto half-shouted back. "I've never beaten Sasuke even once! He's too good!"

"And that's a bad thing?"

Naruto was caught off-guard by his father's question, and was quiet as Minato continued.

"Everyone has a rival, Naruto," the Hokage explained, taking a seat on the grass and beckoning for his son to sit beside him.

"Even you, dad?" Naruto asked, and Minato nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, even me. And everyone has a rival because deep down inside, we all _need_ one; someone to spur us on to train harder, and get stronger with each passing day. And besides, you're not going to get mad at Sasuke just because he's getting better at fighting, are you? He's your friend, isn't he?"

"Yeah, I guess," Naruto admitted after a few moments' thought, his voice low. "But still, I want to beat him! Just once, I want to win! If I lose every time, where's the fairness in that?"

"This isn't about it being fair or unfair, Naruto," his father corrected him, his voice becoming faraway as his thoughts wandered to Kushina once more. "Life isn't fair. Sometimes, things just happen, whether you want them to or not.

"But that's neither here nor there," he continued, his voice changing back to normal in an instant. "My point is, just focus on getting stronger, train against yourself, and soon enough you'll be stronger than Sasuke."

"Really?" Naruto asked, his voice back to its usual level of excitement and his eyes wide. Minato nodded again. "But, what happens then?"

"Well," Minato said with a chuckle and a gleam in his eyes, "Sasuke needs a rival too, doesn't he?"

Naruto caught the joke and smiled, which soon turned into a laugh. Satisfied that his son was back up in high spirits, the Hokage got up and stretched the stiffness out of his shoulders.

"All right, I'm going to go work some more on a _Jutsu_ I've been developing for a bit; I need to relax some before talking to Danzo and the Council. See you later, Naruto!"

"Later, Dad!" Naruto called back. "Good luck!"

"Oh, but before I forget," Minato said as he stopped himself and turned back around, "that _Fuuton_ you were trying to use earlier is formed using Tiger; Ox; Dog; Rabbit and then Snake—you messed it up on the third step by using 'Dragon' instead. If I were you, though, I'd start a little easier than trying a _Daitoppa_ right off the bat!"

The Hokage vanished after that, leaving Naruto alone with his words hanging on the air. The _Jinchuriki_ went over the steps in his mind multiple times, forming each seal in the sequence as he did so to practice how it felt. When he was finally satisfied that he had it down, Naruto took a deep breath, focused his _chakra_ and made the seals in quick succession.

"_Fuuton: Daitoppa!"_

He felt the _chakra_ materialize and shoot forward, but the fact that the result was nothing more than a strong gale did nothing to dispirit Naruto.

"That's a good start," he said to himself with a grin, before he focused and made the seals again.

By the time the sun set he was going to get this _Jutsu_ down, or his father wasn't the Yondaime Hokage.

_I hope you know, Naruto,_ the acidic voice of the _Kyuubi_ sealed within Naruto spoke up in his head, _that _Fuuton Jutsu _**amplify**_ Katon Jutsu_."_

Naruto was still for a moment at the information, his mouth set in a frown.

"I hate you," he said seriously. The _Kyuubi_ just chuckled.

_The feeling is mutual, brat._

The _Jinchuriki_ held his frown for a moment, but it slowly turned back into a confident smirk, this time laced with vindictiveness. Not only would he get this _Jutsu_ right to prove his Dad wrong:

He would also do it just to piss the Nine-Tails inside of him off.

* * *

**A/N:** So there you have it, Chapter 1 of the first Arc of '**Ripples**'! I've been wanting to do a more 'in-universe' Naruto story for a while, and this is my first major try at such a story, so I hope it's successful in that regard.

I also hope you enjoyed this chapter, and **please review**; it's the fuel that keeps my writing engine running! I wanted to focus more on world-building in this chapter than anything else, but believe me when I say there is drama aplenty in the chapters to come.


	2. Knives In The Dark

**Ripples, Arc I: Fate**

**Chapter 2:** Knives In The Dark

* * *

"You summoned us, Hokage?"

Minato had to fight not to frown openly as Danzo entered into his office alongside the two Elders; he had known it would be a long-shot reasoning with just the two of them alone, and having Danzo here to whisper in their ears would just make things that much more difficult.

"Yes, I did. Please have a seat, Elders; Danzo-san."

Danzo wasted no time in beginning, his mouth setting itself into a frown that was deeper than normal, even for him.

"I assume you brought us here to discuss the problem of the Uchiha, Namikaze," he grumbled. "I trust you've finally come to your senses regarding it?"

While Minato generally discouraged excessive formality towards him among the people he dealt with every day, there was something about the way Danzo addressed him that never failed to set his teeth grinding.

"If by that you mean I've come to a decision, Danzo-san," he said, glad that the honorific came out normally, "then yes. I have met with the Uchiha clan's head, and made them a proposal I believe they found satisfactory. One that doesn't resort to wholesale slaughter," he added, leveling a hard look at Danzo, who was completely unfazed.

"Oh, really?" Homura countered, his voice a mix of disbelief and disdain as his eyes hardened behind his glasses. "And what sort of concessions did you make to get Fugaku to consider this proposal of yours? Did you go as far as to kowtow in front of him?"

"I proposed to him," the Hokage replied evenly, ignoring the Elder's insult, "that the Uchiha be allowed back into Konoha proper, and that the head of the Police Force be given a seat on the Council."

"What!?" Koharu blurted out, her face twisting into a rare expression of open surprise. "Give the Uchiha power over how Konoha is run? Are you insane, boy?!"

"So you would prefer that every man, woman and child in their entire clan has their throat cut open, is that it?" Minato shot back, barely able to keep his tone from crossing over into a growl. "The Uchiha are some of the best warriors Konoha possesses, Elder. You seem to have no problem whatsoever with sending them out on our missions, but you think they deserve to have no say in their own fates as part of this village?"

"They made their choice, Hokage," Danzo countered evenly, his voice cold. "They plotted to rebel once, and such sentiments are not easily quelled once they emerge. If anything, the reintegration you suggest will simply allow the Uchiha to strike with greater ease than they otherwise might."

"Which assumes that they would want to strike at all, Danzo-san," the Hokage said firmly, not willing to give up an inch. "They all know that there's no way they could possibly succeed in pulling off an actual coup, not as long as I'm the Hokage. I'm confident that Fugaku Uchiha will give me word of his agreement to the pact sooner rather than later; like I said to him earlier today, we are recovering from a War, councilors. The last thing we need right now is internal strife, not while our enemies are no doubt rebuilding and waiting for a chance to strike back at us."

"Pretty words, Hokage," Homura said, his voice not carrying a single ounce of sincerity, "but I doubt I am alone in thinking that you underestimate the hatred the Uchiha bear the rest of Konoha. As long as they draw breath, they will be a threat to the security of the Village as a whole, and that is something I cannot allow."

"And as Hokage," Minato said, his fists clenching at his side unconsciously, "I can't allow you to sanction the destruction of an entire group of people based on nothing more than a suspicion, no matter how likely or unlikely it might be. I refuse to accept that what you three are proposing is the right way to end this conflict."

"Hokage," Koharu spoke up, her voice and expression back to normal following her earlier outburst, "I understand that you have not been yourself since your wife's death at the hands of the Nine-Tailed Beast, but that was almost a decade ago. Put your grief behind you, and do not let it affect a decision of this magnitude."

"This has nothing to do with Kushina, Elder," Minato replied tersely, his eyes narrowing, "and I find it insulting that you would use her as a means to question my ability to lead Konoha.

"Regardless of how strongly you three might feel about the threat the Uchiha present to the Village, as Hokage _I_, and I alone, have the final say in this matter. Under no circumstances are you to move against the Uchiha, unless they give us cause to do so themselves. That is all."

"Very well," Homura said, not bothering to bow before turning around and walking from the room. "I am disappointed in you, boy. Why Hiruzen chose you to be his successor, I will never know. Your heart is too soft."

Minato watched the three old ninja go, his stoic expression revealing none of his inner anger. As soon as he was sure he was alone, the Hokage let out a sigh that he was sure would have made Sarutobi-san proud.

"Am I doing the right thing here, Jiraiya-sensei?" he asked the empty room, wondering why it was that ninja were so content to hate and so unwilling to forgive.

* * *

"So, Danzo," Koharu said as the three of them sat alone in Danzo's office, "what exactly do you plan to do about this?"

Danzo smiled, a look in his one visible eye that bled malice.

"What do you think?" he asked. "I'm going to use ANBU to carry out the attack anyway, whether or not the Hokage supports it."

"But how?" Homura asked back, arching a gray eyebrow. "ANBU is under the direct supervision of the Hokage, and answers to no one else— not even to you."

Danzo's smile twisted into a superior smirk, one that sent a sudden shiver racing down the Elders' spines even though they knew he was on their side.

"Have you forgotten about 'Root', my old friend?"

"'Root'?" Koharu echoed, her voice skeptical. "The last I heard of your little pet division, Danzo, the Hokage had ordered it disbanded for violating the law."

"That is true," Danzo ceded, "but you do me a disservice, Koharu, in assuming that I did not indoctrinate my soldiers well enough for their loyalty to be absolutely unshakable. If I call, Root will answer. No matter the time or the place, they will come. And they will follow my orders to the letter, as I have trained them to do."

"And you are confident that they will be able to carry out this mission on their own?" Homura pressed, still unconvinced. "As the Hokage said, the Uchiha are famed for their prowess and tenacity in battle. They will not simply roll over and surrender to you, Danzo."

"Nor would I expect them to," the ancient ninja replied, his voice firm. "I will send in my absolute best soldiers, and I will take no chances. By sunrise tomorrow, the Uchiha clan will be nothing more than an unpleasant memory: of this, I can assure you."

"And what of the… mercenary… you employed to assist you in this endeavor, Danzo?" Koharu asked, still skeptical. "Are you sure he can be trusted not to betray us?"

Danzo simply nodded, closing his eye slowly as his mind began to weave plans far into the future.

"There is no conceivable reason for him to double-cross us, Koharu," he replied confidently. "His target is the Uchiha clan, and not Konoha itself. He lacks the power and the resources to mount an attack large enough to destroy, or even to harm, Konoha in any way."

"Be that as it may, Danzo," Koharu continued, her eyes narrowing, "it is the principle of the thing that has me unsettled. There are some powers in this world that are not to be tampered with, and some people who are absolutely beyond control. But that man is a rare combination of those two things, Danzo: trust him in any way, and it will mean the death of you."

"While I value your concern, Koharu," Danzo said evenly after the Elder had fallen silent, "it is misplaced and unnecessary. I do not have to trust in someone in order to use them, to manipulate them towards a goal of my own choosing. That man is far from the first weapon I have wielded in defense of Konoha, nor will he be the last.

"That is how you must see him, Koharu: as I see him. Nothing more than a blunt weapon, too powerless to act on his own, and requiring the guiding hand of a strong leader. That leader is me."

"And I trust, my friend," Homura said, "that you do not view us the same way you do this mercenary of yours? I'm too old to be used as a weapon, and I certainly don't take kindly to being manipulated."

Danzo chuckled. "Even if you're too old to be used as a weapon, Homura," he replied, "you are certainly still far too sharp to be manipulated. But I would never even dream of such a thing to begin with, my friend: ever since Tobirama was Nidaime Hokage of this village, you two have been the closest allies I know. Tell me, why would I cut off my own two arms, when I have so much left to do?"

The Elders seemed outwardly satisfied with the response, but Homura's heart still remained heavy.

"How much blood, Danzo," he asked, "will we have to cover our hands with, before this is over? How much will this peace of yours cost us?"

"As much as it has to, my friend," Danzo answered firmly. "Whatever the price is, I will gladly pay it to see this village rescued from the Sandaime and Yondaime's blind idealism. That is my promise to you, as the future Godaime Hokage: a promise I intend to keep with my life, if necessary."

* * *

"Wait— are you serious, Itachi?"

Itachi finished off the small cup of sake in front of him, leaning back in the booth he was sitting at as he did so.

"Would I joke around about something this serious, Kakashi-san?" Itachi asked back, and the only other ANBU member besides Itachi with a _Sharingan_ let out a long, low whistle.

"Man, I thought I respected the Hokage before," Kakashi Hatake said in an admiring voice, "but doing something like this takes serious guts. Does he realize that the Council could move to impeach him over this?"

"Most likely, yes," Itachi replied as he put down his cup and began to refill it, "but he likely also doesn't care. We both know that if the Hokage is convinced that something is right, he sees it through to the end. No matter how bitter that ending is."

"Indeed he does," Kakashi agreed, and the two ANBU members clinked cups before going to work on the next round of sake.

"So," Kakashi said after he'd killed his shot in one gulp, "do you think this proposal of the Hokage's will actually go through?"

"I would say it has about a fifty-percent chance of success," Itachi said. "And even if it did succeed, there would still be a long way to go before the rest of Konoha stopped looking at the Uchiha suspiciously, and vice-versa.

"Just because my father decides to sign some kind of truce, that doesn't mean that there won't be splinter groups that form in the clan. All it would take would be for one of them to decide to take things into their own hands, and then..." he trailed off, leaving the implication hanging in the air.

"True," Kakashi conceded. "But if we don't try something, I guess we'll never know either way. And if it's any consolation, Itachi," he continued, his voice totally serious in spite of the amount of alcohol he'd drunk, "I'll take any missions that come down targeted at someone with the last name 'Uchiha'."

Itachi finished the second half of his sake shot and shook his head, the red orbs of his _Sharingan_ fading into black as his rigorous self-control finally began to relax.

"Thank you for the offer, Kakashi-san," he said. "But it is my duty, as both an ANBU captain and as a member of my clan, to shoulder that guilt myself."

"Fair enough," Kakashi replied. "But if you ever change your mind, just let me know."

Itachi nodded, getting up from his seat and reaching into one of his flak jacket's pockets to get money for the bill. Kakashi beat him to it, though, putting down money of his own and blocking Itachi's attempt to pay completely. It was a good thing after all, Kakashi mused, that they only wore their jacket-less ANBU uniforms on duty.

"This one's on me, Itachi," he said. "You can get the next round."

"That's what you said last time, Kakashi-san."

"Was it?" the silver-haired ninja replied, feigned confusion clouding his face. "Well, I was probably drunk when I said that, so obviously I didn't mean it. Come on; let's get going. The night is young, and odds are good the Hokage has another mission for us between now and sunrise."

No sooner had the pair stepped out of the bar than Kakashi's prediction came true, and they were met by the unusually grim face of the Yondaime himself.

"Itachi, Kakashi," he said, "sober up. Now."

The soldiers were initially taken aback by the sternness of the order, but a moment later they were forcing the _chakra_ in their bodies to burn off all of the alcohol they had just consumed. The rapid detoxing stung worse than getting stabbed in the back, but the discomfort passed almost as soon as it had come.

"What is it, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked, surprised that their commander would come to them himself, rather than sending an intermediary as was standard.

"I met with the Council Elders a few hours ago," Minato explained, "and Danzo. I told them about the deal I'd made with your father, Itachi, and they reacted about how I'd thought they would. But I trust Danzo about as much as I trust the _Kyuubi_, and I know he's plotting something already."

"Do you want us to go pay him a visit, sir?" Itachi asked, his hand reflexively reaching for the ANBU _katana_ he normally wore when running a mission, only to find it absent. Minato shook his head.

"No," he answered, "I can handle that myself. I need you two to go to the Uchiha village immediately and see what's happening; don't worry about getting into your ANBU uniforms. Do you have your _Hiraishin kunai_ on you?"

"Always," Kakashi said promptly, patting one of the pouches at his waist. Minato gave a small smile.

"Good," he said. "If I don't join up with you in the Uchiha village in ten minutes, use one of them and I'll teleport to you."

Itachi followed his commander's logic, his _Sharingan_-enhanced eyes widening slightly in surprise.

"You don't honestly think he would try to assassinate you; do you, sir?" he asked, and Minato shrugged.

"Who knows?" he said. "Personally, I wouldn't put anything past Danzo, and it never hurts to be prepared."

Kakashi had let his thoughts wander down a different path, and when he spoke his voice was a rare combination of bitter and resigned; a tone Minato hadn't heard since the day Obito Uchiha had died in battle.

"If you're impeached and banished for this, sensei," he said, "wherever you go, I'll follow. That's a promise."

He didn't give Minato a chance to reply, quickly forming the seal for the _Shunshin_ _Jutsu_ and disappearing soundlessly.

"He said it," Itachi agreed determinately, forming a seal as well. "Good luck, Hokage-sama."

The ANBU captain disappeared with nothing more than a mere whisper to mark him by, leaving Minato standing against the stiff night wind by himself.

"Likewise," he said, before taking a breath and vanishing as well.

* * *

Sasuke knew that he should have been asleep; classes started again tomorrow with the new week, after all. But as hard as he tried, the young Uchiha was too excited to get any rest. He'd almost gotten the _Gokyaku no Jutsu_ down; one more week with Iruka-sensei and he was sure it would be finished.

And that wasn't even counting the possibility of the treaty being signed! Sasuke could hardly wait for the time to come when he'd be able to walk around the rest of Konoha without getting odd looks; he would have to write a thank-you letter to the Hokage at some point, but that could wait for tomorrow's study-time.

Sasuke was thrown out of his thoughts by the soft sound of footsteps at the front door, and he sprang up off of his sleeping mat with a smile. It was about time his brother came home! He walked quickly and quietly to the door, careful not to wake up his parents, and slid the wooden panel open.

"Welcome back, nii-sa—" he began, before his voice cut off from shock as he realized that the person he was looking up at had long, pale blond hair, icy blue eyes and was most certainly _not_ his brother.

"_Shintenshin no Jutsu!"_

The seals and the command were too fast for Sasuke to dodge or avoid, and he felt like he was going to vomit as some kind of strange wave of energy seemed to pass into his body. A second later his vision swam and he blacked out, his body falling to its knees. When his eyes opened again, Sasuke was faced with the bizarre sensation of having absolutely no control over his own body.

_What—what's going on!?_ the young Uchiha tried to shout, panicked, but no voice came from his mouth. The body of the blond-haired ninja in front of him collapsed, but was caught by another ninja wearing some kind of mask before it hit the ground.

"Torune," Sasuke heard himself whisper, "keep that safe. I'm going to take care of the Clan Head and his woman."

"Understood, Fu," the masked ninja replied, unsheathing and holding out the dagger that had been on Fu's back before he'd made the switch into Sasuke's body. Sasuke saw his hand reaching out to grab the blade and tried to stop it, but his hand refused to respond.

_No—No! _he screamed, realizing what was going to happen. _Stop it! Get out of my head!_

_**Shut up, you little brat,**_ a hard voice boomed back at him, cowing Sasuke into silence. _**You're under my 'Mind-Body Switch' **_**Jutsu**_** now, and nothing you can do will break it. So stop whining, or I'll make you cut your own vocal chords.**_

Sasuke could only watch, wide-eyed and horrified, as his legs carried him slowly and silently towards his parents' room one step at a time.

_Stop… don't do this…_ he pleaded, but the man controlling his body paid him no mind. _Mom—Dad—wake up! Run! RUN AWAY!_

_**What did I tell you about shutting up? **_the voice said again, before forcing Sasuke's arm to raise the dagger up and cut a line down his right arm. He wasn't in control of his body, but Sasuke could still feel the pain inflicted upon it. He screamed, but his agony only caused the knife to bite deeper.

_**There's only one way to make it stop, kid,**_ the man's voice said, _**and I think you know what that is.**_

Sasuke nodded rapidly and forced his cries of pain down, mentally biting his lip until it bled instead. The man controlling his body, Fu, seemed content with the wordless response and stopped the cut just short of Sasuke's wrist, which would have proven lethal. He did nothing to heal the wound, though, and left the searing pain there as a warning to Sasuke as he walked on.

The young Uchiha watched in silent horror as his body soundlessly opened the door to his parents' room, where they were sleeping side-by-side.

_There's no way you can kill one without the other waking up,_ Sasuke said defiantly, _and then they're going to kill you!_

_**You mean they're going to kill **_**you**_**, brat,**_ Fu countered pitilessly. _**I can end this **_**Jutsu**_** whenever I want, and the only person who will die once I'm out of your body is you.**_

_**But regardless,**_ Fu continued, holding the blade of the knife up to the light to reveal several bugs crawling along the blade, _**neither of them are going to wake up, thanks to these nano-bugs Torune lent me. Lethally poisonous, and small enough to seep in through the pores of your skin. Once they're immobilized, all that will be left is to finish them off.**_

_No—no—no—NO!_ Sasuke shouted, wanting to control his body more than anything but unable to make even his pinky finger budge. _Why are you doing this!? What have we ever done to you!?_

But Fu didn't answer, merely touching the tip of his knife to the floor and watching silently as the nano-bugs began to speed toward Sasuke's sleeping parents.

_Tell me why!_ he shouted again, uncaring now for the pain in his arm or any other kind of pain he might receive. _Why are you doing this!?_

_**Because it's an order.**_

The dispassionate words shocked Sasuke to his core: his parents were getting killed on someone's orders? What had happened to the treaty? Who wanted them dead? Why was this happening to him?

Where was his brother!?

_Don't do this! _Sasuke shouted again, and even the tip of the now bug-free knife cutting back into his wound wasn't enough pain to silence him. _Don't! Stop! They're my parents! Why are you making me do this!?_

Fu said nothing as he forced Sasuke to walk silently over to his mothers' side and raise the knife high into the moonlight.

_Mom! Mom! Wake up!_

And his mother did just that.

Sasuke could see the pain and confusion in her eyes from the bugs that were racing along underneath her skin, which only deepened as she saw Sasuke crouching over her holding a knife.

_NO! STOP! STOP!_ the child screamed one last time, pushing with all of his might to try and force the enemy ninja out of his head.

But his hands came down, and the knife came with them.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Any words that Sasuke might have tried to form had melted into an anguished, deranged howl as he could only sit and watch his own hands rend and tear away the flesh and life of the woman he loved most in the world, unable to close his eyes against the pain. Mikoto died with her eyes open, the lifeless black orbs seemingly silently cursing the one who had taken her life.

As Fu moved over to his father's side, Sasuke wished for nothing more than to die. He wanted the earth to open up beneath his feet and drag him down to Hell, where surely any torment that waited for him would be less painful than this. But no god or demon seemed to hear his wish, and Sasuke watched again as fresh blood stained his hands and he became a patricide as well as a matricide.

_You will pay for this,_ Sasuke said at last, in a lifeless voice that was not his own. _I will find you, and I will kill you._

_**Will you, now?**_ Fu shot back, his voice holding no emotion whatsoever. _**Well, I guess I shouldn't leave you alive then, should I?**_

Sasuke felt nothing as the knife turned in his hand and raced toward his stomach; not even the tiniest fleeting sensation of fear or relief. He barely even felt the presence of Fu leave him behind a second before the blade impacted, restoring him to his body. It was too late to stop the knife, though, and Sasuke barely flinched as the cold steel buried itself in him.

The pain burned sharply, bright blood flowing out of the wound to mingle with the still-warm blood of his parents.

"Mother, Father," Sasuke said weakly as he felt his hands going cold and his vision fading,

"I'm sorry."

* * *

**A/N:** Whew, that last scene there was draining to write. I felt like a huge asshole for mindscrewing Sasuke so massively, though, if that's any consolation for all of you Sasuke fans out there. Itachi's in for a brutal homecoming, I'll say that much. And Danzo's up to no good, which can't end well at all.

Well, in spite of the downer nature of this chapter, I hope you guys still enjoyed it. Oh, and **please review;** they're what keep me writing, and now moreso than ever thanks to classes starting up again and my life getting ridiculously busy.


	3. Traitors

**Ripples, Arc I: Fate  
**

**Chapter 3:** Traitors

* * *

Itachi stopped dead in his tracks as he and Kakashi hurried into the Uchiha village, the look on his face prompting his partner to freeze as well.

"What's wrong, Captain?" he asked urgently, referring to Itachi by his rank now. "Come on, we need to get moving!"

"You go ahead," Itachi said numbly, feeling like his heart was being squeezed inside of his chest. "I'll catch up with you. I need to make sure Sasuke is all right."

"Captain, you can't—" the older ninja began, only for Itachi to vanish without another word, leaving Kakashi in hostile territory with support.

"Itachi!" Kakashi shouted, a feeling of deep unease in the pit of his stomach. His exclamation was lost on the wind, though, and Kakashi decided that he would have to make it through this himself; at least until the Hokage showed up. He raced on through the main street of the village, snapping open a scroll pouch on his flak jacket as he ran and pulling out a Summoning Scroll. Biting the tip of his thumb, Kakashi unrolled the scroll and smeared a line of blood down the middle of it before bringing his hand down to the ground.

"_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"_

A ring of black writing traced itself out on the ground at the words, and a puff of smoke soon followed. As it cleared, Kakashi's Dogs stood there, looking to their master and waiting for orders.

"Find anyone wearing an ANBU mask and mark them," he said, assuming that Danzo would call 'Root' back into service for an operation like this. It had officially been disbanded, but that meant less than nothing in reality.

"Roger!" the Dogs said in chorus, before sprinting off into the darkness. Only Pakkun lingered behind, a concerned look on his squashed, wrinkled face.

"Be careful out there, Kakashi," he said gruffly, but there was true concern in his words. "Finding a new contractor is a pain in the ass for us, I hope you know."

"Don't worry about me," the ninja assured his familiar. "I'll be fine."

"Famous last words," Pakkun said dryly after Kakashi had darted off, before turning in a different direction and running after the nearest scent he could smell.

Kakashi didn't wait for his Dogs to report back before taking action, drawing a _kunai_ knife from one of his waist pouches and bringing his speed back up to a full-on run. The night was eerily quiet, and the corpses strewn on the road only served to increase the heaviness and stillness of the air. Kakashi felt his teeth clench at the sight of a small child and her mother lying gutted and motionless in the dirt, flies on their lifeless eyeballs as rats began to sniff hesitantly at the corpses.

_Danzo, you bastard,_ Kakashi seethed to himself. _If I ever see you again, I'll make sure you suffer as much as they did._

The ANBU soldier found a target for his rage as he finally came upon someone in a cloak wearing a typical ANBU mask, running to the end of the alley Kakashi had just turned down. His _Sharingan_ guided the knife from his hand with unerring accuracy, and Kakashi just hurried on as soon as he heard the blade punch through the other ninja's throat. The blow severed the jugular vein, killing the Root soldier instantly and leaving the body lying in the dust.

Crows needed to eat too, after all.

* * *

Itachi felt his pulse quicken as he discovered the door to his house had been opened and left that way, a feeling of dread like he'd never felt before settling onto his back and weighing him down. He ran through the various empty rooms of the house until he came at last to the door to his parents' room, his _Sharingan_ showing him Sasuke's rapidly fading _chakra_ through the barrier and the empty husks that had once been his mother and father. Stepping over the threshold as his hand pushed the door aside, Itachi felt his heart clench again as he saw Sasuke curled up on the floor bleeding, next to the corpses of their parents.

The ANBU captain wasted no time in hurrying to his brother's side, quickly checking his vital signs. Itachi was slightly relieved to feel a pulse still beating at Sasuke's neck, but it was weakening fast and would be gone in a few minutes if he didn't do something to reverse the blood loss immediately. Pulling the knife out slowly from the wound, Itachi ignored the pained groan that came from his brother and focused as hard as he could on using _chakra_ to repair the damaged cells in Sasuke's body. He was immensely thankful for the basic battlefield-medical training every member of ANBU had received, but Itachi's spark of hope was soon fading as he saw with his _Sharingan's_ ruthless clarity that Sasuke was dying faster than he could heal him.

"At the rate he's bleeding out," a hard voice broke in suddenly from behind Itachi, "he's going to die. But it doesn't have to end that way, Itachi. I can help you."

The elder Uchiha sibling reached into his waist-pouch faster than any normal eye could follow, drawing three _shuriken_ and flinging them at the speaker without even turning around. Instead of hearing the familiar sound of the small blades impacting flesh, however, Itachi heard the dull _thunk_ of the blades fixing themselves into the wooden wall on the far side of the room.

"Impressive reflexes, Itachi," the voice spoke out again, and this time Itachi turned to face the speaker.

He was a man about Itachi's height and sporting long, slightly spiky black hair, but that was all Itachi could tell about his appearance; the darkness of the night and the mask covering the man's face hid the rest of him from view. Itachi's _Sharingan_ revealed, though, that whoever this stranger was, his _chakra_ was immense and absolutely monstrous in nature.

"Who are you?" he asked stoically, refusing to be cowed, but the man just laughed.

"I know you've been doing research into the truth of the _Mangekyo Sharingan_, Itachi," the masked man retorted, and Itachi's eyes widened in surprise. "You wanted to make sure you had power enough to destroy your own clan, if it came to that, and the _Mangekyo_ was the only way."

"What does that have to do with you?" Itachi asked, and the man before him narrowed the single eye that was visible through the lone hole in his mask.

"It has everything to do with me, Itachi," he answered. "Open your eyes, and see me for who I am."

The dark eye behind the mask became red with the power of a triple-marked _Sharingan_, before the dots swirled and dissolved a moment later. In their place, three larger teardrop-shaped markings encompassed the pupil, with a straight bar stemming from the tail of each teardrop.

It was the Eternal _Mangekyo Sharingan._

"You're Madara Uchiha," Itachi said at last, and the man nodded.

"I am indeed," Madara replied, his _Sharingan_ regressing back to normal. "Come home at last, to carry out some small fraction of my vengeance. But that's not why I'm here now, Itachi," he continued, walking towards the siblings. "As I said, I can help you heal your brother. But you have to make me a promise in exchange."

"What is it?" Itachi asked, his voice growing more impatient as time melted away and his brother came closer and closer to dying right next to him. "Hurry up and get to the point."

"Promise me that if I help you heal your brother, you will do nothing to stop me from massacring everyone left in this village."

Itachi's eyes widened again at the demand, wondering why Madara would want to perpetrate genocide against his own people.

"They scorned me," he said, reading the look on Itachi's face, "and cast me out. All I wanted to do was save the clan from the oppression of the Senju, but they refused to listen to me. And now look where they are, Itachi. Look where _you_ are. This is nothing more than fated retribution, and I am one of its myriad instruments.

"Now choose, Itachi: your clan, or your little brother? Which is it going to be?"

Itachi was silent for a moment, his mind's eye passing over the faces of everyone in his clan that he'd known for as long as he'd been alive. He also thought of Kakashi, and prayed that his friend would be smart enough to stay out of the way of Madara's rampage.

"If you can heal Sasuke," he said with no hesitation in his voice, "then do it."

Itachi could see Madara smiling in his eye, and he was soon beside the younger Uchiha channeling _chakra_ into Sasuke's stomach wound. Itachi was inwardly elated to see his brother kept out of death's reach, but a sense of disgust and self-loathing threatened to drown out his happiness completely.

In saving his brother's life, he had become complicit in the mass-murder of his entire clan.

"I wouldn't let this tear you up too badly inside, Itachi," Madara said, his tone of voice at once familiar and insufferably arrogant. "If I wasn't here, the other ninja would still finish the job themselves. _Sharingan_ or no _Sharingan_, the Uchiha are done for.

"Oh, and by the way," he added ominously, "I'll be sure to leave Shisui alive for you. I assume you'll know what to do when you find him, Itachi."

Madara suddenly vanished into thin air without a sound as he finished speaking, leaving behind no trace of his _chakra_ whatsoever. Itachi noticed with anger that Sasuke's wound hadn't been fully healed by the legendary Uchiha: clearly, Madara had intended to keep Itachi here finishing the job as security against any second thoughts of interfering with the slaughter.

"Nii… Nii-san, is that you?"

Itachi looked down as Sasuke's faint whisper rose up to his ears, his eyes regressing from the _Sharingan_ back to normal as he gave his younger brother a gentle smile.

"Close your eyes, Sasuke," he said. "Get some rest. It'll be easier to finish healing you if you're sleeping."

"Nii-san, I—I killed them," Sasuke said softly, tears forming in the corners of his eyes as they closed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

Itachi listened to his brother's words with an impassive face, but beneath his calm expression, he was struggling mightily to repress the first surge of pure killing intent he'd felt in years. The War that had raged around him during his youth had shaped Itachi into a staunch pacifist, but the extent to which he could see that Sasuke had been manipulated made him want to find whoever was responsible and murder them.

It didn't take Itachi's eyes long to fall on the bloodied knife that lay still-damp on the floor, the blade ending without a tip. Root's weapon of choice.

So, the Hokage had been right in suspecting Danzo to pull something like this, after all. But enacting justice against Danzo came second to making sure his brother survived, Itachi reminded himself forcefully, before concentrating all of the _chakra_ he could spare back on the task of healing Sasuke.

"_I'll be sure to leave Shisui alive for you. I trust you'll know what to do when you find him, Itachi."_

Madara's last words echoed in his head, only serving to unnerve Itachi even more. He knew what the other Uchiha had been implying: that Itachi should be the one to kill Shisui, and in doing so, obtain his own _Mangekyo Sharingan._ Shisui was one of the last people Itachi would ever consider killing, though, even if something as powerful as the _Mangekyo Sharingan_ was the temptation.

But on the other hand, he had seen Madara's _chakra_ with his _Sharingan._ He had caught a glimpse of how powerful the man still was, even decades after his defeat at the hands of Hashirama Senju. And Madara possessed both an Eternal _Mangekyo Sharingan_ and a grudge against the village that had ostracized him so many years ago, things he had blatantly shown and told Itachi. The message was crystal-clear:

Without a _Mangekyo Sharingan_ of his own, Itachi would be powerless to oppose Madara should that day ever come. And from the look of things, it was only a matter of time before it did.

The knot in Itachi's stomach wound itself tighter and tighter as his sense of necessity warred with his instinct of what was right, and he began to feel the breath seeping out of his lungs as his inner-turmoil roiled on. Suddenly desperate for air, Itachi glanced down once to make sure that Sasuke was stable before he rose from his kneeling position and bolted out of the room, not stopping until he had reached the outside of his house once more.

The night air was still cold and bracing, but Itachi welcomed the sting as the wind lashed against the back of his throat before flowing down and filling his lungs. The pain served to wake him up, forcing him out of the haze and confusion that his parents' deaths and Madara's words had plunged him into so deeply.

What was he going to do after this? Where was he going to go? Itachi could hear, smell and feel his village burning and dying around him; no doubt Root and Madara had demolished what little resistance the Uchiha had put forward and were now just mopping up the stragglers like so many scurrying vermin. His home was gone, and almost everyone he knew was dead.

It was highly likely that Danzo would work to force the Hokage into a compromising position and then impeach him, if he didn't have a plan set up on that front already. No doubt that was why Minato had made sure that Kakashi was carrying the _Hiraishin kunai_; they were meant as an out, as an escape plan in case something went wrong when the Hokage paid his visit to Danzo. And if the Hokage was forced from his seat, it would mean the loss of one of the last people in Konoha that had risked standing up for and reaching out to the Uchiha, leaving Itachi and Sasuke at the mercy of every bigoted ninja in Konoha.

Which would mean that the only course of action then would be to follow the Hokage, Kakashi and most likely Naruto into exile, while Danzo and the Elders branded them all missing-nin of various ranks and put bounties on their heads. What kind of a life was that for a kid who was only nine years old? But no; Sasuke had ceased being a kid the moment he'd seen his parents butchered right in front of him. Now, he was faced with a simple, stark choice: become a true ninja and learn to fight and survive like one, or die like a dog. Hopefully, Sasuke would be able to make the change without completely losing himself in the process. But without their mother around to act as a guiding influence, Itachi was doubtful of that. Hopefully Naruto, Kakashi and the Hokage could act as a surrogate family for Sasuke, but only time would tell.

"Itachi! I found you!"

The voice came out of nowhere, and it was close. Too close for Itachi to risk wasting time seeing whom it was. There was no doubt that this guy was an enemy, and every second he stood still was an opening in his defenses. The _kunai_ was drawn and thrown in a single flawless motion, Itachi letting his instincts guide his hand based on where those brief four words had come from.

This time, he heard the sound of metal ripping into flesh, and knew that he'd hit his target. Itachi's lips curved up in a small smile, but that quickly faded and was replaced by a horrified expression as his enemy spoke once more.

"Itachi—you—_why_?"

Itachi turned around slowly, knowing whom he had just skewered but not wanting to see the truth in front of him.

It was Shisui.

The _kunai_ had impacted his lung, right next to the heart. Judging by the speed of the bleeding and the rapid onset of shock, he only had a few minutes left to live, if not less.

"Damn it!" Itachi cursed, running over to his friend's side and kneeling down next to him as Shisui fell to his knees and then onto his back.

"Heh… that was a good throw, Itachi," Shisui forced out after a moment, a grim smile on his face. "I guess all that training—paid off."

The wounded Uchiha's words stopped as he lapsed into a violent coughing fit, his strength ebbing away from him along with his lifeblood.

"Stop talking," Itachi said seriously, drawing out the _kunai_ and beginning to put pressure on the wound. "You'll bleed out quicker than you are already."

"That doesn't matter now, Itachi," Shisui countered, a fatalistic strength to his voice. "That attack of yours got me in a vital spot—there's no way anyone but a trained medical-nin could heal me."

Shisui slipped into another coughing fit, this one harsher than the last. Itachi tried pumping more _chakra_ into the wound, but was shocked when Shisui reached up and slapped his hands away.

"Stop wasting your fucking _chakra_ on me, Itachi!" he said as loudly as he could, wincing hard against the pain. "Save it for the ANBU that're tearing up the village!"

Itachi wanted to argue with his closest friend, but even he had to admit to himself that Shisui was right. There was nothing he could do to save him.

"What're you—waiting for?" the dying Uchiha asked, his face now ashen as the blood drained from it even further. "Kill me and get out of here!"

The demand caught Itachi off-guard, and Shisui looked up at his shocked friend and laughed. The sound was strained and bitter, not at all like it usually was.

"For a genius, Itachi, you can be a real idiot sometimes," he said softly, his voice now barely above a whisper. "D'you really think you were the only one—who researched the history of the _Sharingan_? I know about the _Mangekyo_, Itachi. I know what you—have to do—to obtain it.

"So hurry up and kill me, damn it!" Shisui urged, the blood continuing to flow from his wound. "I'm dying here anyway, and at least this way it won't be a complete waste!"

The words leeched the rest of Shisui's strength away, and he lay on the ground unmoving; he was still alive, but hovering over the line between life and death. Itachi took up the _kunai_ he had used to wound his friend and gripped it strong in one hand, lifting it into the air.

"I'm sorry," he said gravely, before closing his eyes and bringing the _kunai_ down between Shisui's eyes. Itachi felt and heard his friend's head split open, but dared not look. Letting the bloodied weapon slip from his hand, Itachi got up and sprinted away into the night.

He let himself run several meters before his eyes opened, blood-red and marked with a three-pronged black shape that stretched out in place of the pupil.

His _Mangekyo Sharingan_ had awoken.

* * *

The smoke was black and acrid and burned worse than the flames it came from, but Kakashi pressed on anyway. If there was even a single survivor left, he had to find them. He had to keep Root from stamping out what little remained of the Uchiha clan. But as he pushed deeper and deeper into the village, the only thing that greeted him were corpses.

How had Root managed to push this far so quickly? That unit consisted of at most eight or ten ANBU; not nearly enough to wipe out every single person in the village so rapidly. It made no sense.

Kakashi stopped at the next corpse he found and walked over to it, leaning down to inspect it for injuries. It was a strong man, in the peak of physical condition; there was no way he would have gone down without taking at least one ninja with him, and yet there was no corpse nearby that could have belonged to an enemy.

So what the hell had happened to him? Not only was there no enemy nearby, but the sharpness of Kakashi's _Sharingan_ revealed that there wasn't a single visible wound on his body.

Who could have possibly done this?

"I think you're looking for me, young Hatake."

Kakashi spun around at the sound of his name, finding himself face-to-face with a man wearing a strange orange mask with black stripes running horizontally across it. A mane of long black hair ran down to at least the middle of his back, and behind the single hole in the middle of the mask was a _Sharingan_ like none Kakashi had seen before.

The ANBU ninja didn't bother with questions, instead immediately drawing a fistful of _kunai_ from his waist and slinging them with pinpoint accuracy at his unknown enemy. Tracking his opponent's _chakra_ with his _Sharingan_, Kakashi watched carefully for any kind of escaping _Jutsu_ the unnamed man might try to use. The _kunai_ closed in with a bloodthirsty chorus of whistles as they tore through the air…

Only to pass right through the man's body and his head, as if he were an illusion.

"What?!"

"Give it up, boy," the man with the strange _Sharingan_ taunted. "You can't beat me, even with your borrowed eye. I'd love to stay and show you just how far below me you truly are, Kakashi Hatake, but I have business I must attend to elsewhere."

The man vanished entirely, only to reappear in front of Kakashi a split-second later. Before the ANBU ninja could even react, a hard elbow had slammed into his gut, knocking the wind from him and sending his field of vision tumbling.

"Look at me."

Kakashi felt a hand grip his hair and lift his head up, where his gaze came to rest on the man's bizarre _Sharingan._ There was a vicious smile in that eye as the man spoke, uttering just one word.

"_Tsukuyomi."_

Kakashi couldn't blink, and he didn't have enough strength left to turn away from the attack. The world around him was sucked backwards into a single point, leaving nothing but pitch-black darkness in its wake.

"Don't try to struggle, Kakashi," the man's voice called out from everywhere and nowhere, no source to be seen but countless to be heard. "There's no escaping this _Genjutsu_ of mine, especially not by someone who only has one _Sharingan_, and a cut-rate one at that. Obito Uchiha was a worthless blight on our name, Hatake; you do his clan a grave disservice honoring him."

Kakashi felt rage boil up from the pit of his stomach as his attacker insulted the memory of his former friend and teammate, but it was futile in this strange place with blackened ground and a burnished, rust-orange sky.

"Don't try to struggle," the voice said again, this time giving its countless sources physical form as hundreds of figures appeared out of the air, all holding swords or daggers. "That will just make this hurt all the more.

"Now vanish."

Blade after blade rammed into Kakashi without mercy, intense pain distorting his senses completely. He knew it was just a _Genjutsu_, but the power of it was absolutely overwhelming. Kakashi's willpower bent and broke, shattering as the pain consumed him and the illusionary hell around him faded into darkness as well.

This was really how he was going to die? What would Obito say to him in the next world, after a defeat as humiliating as this?

"I'd say you shouldn't give up if you're not dead, Kakashi; you moron!"

The unexpected voice broke Kakashi out of his thoughts and he opened his eyes, surprised to be on normal ground and back in the real world. The man who had attacked him with that twisted _Genjutsu_ was nowhere to be seen, but that didn't mean Kakashi was alone, either.

"Obito?" he asked, his mind still clouded with confusion and pain. "Is that you?"

The image of the dead Uchiha smiled, his one dark eye twinkling with the same mischief it had held years ago.

"What do you think, you idiot?" he asked bluntly, the laughter in his voice taking the sting off of his words. "I'm dead, Kakashi. This is just your subconscious talking to you one last time before you fade out."

Kakashi managed a weary chuckle, playing along with the absurdity of his last moments being spent bickering with his friend's annoying ghost.

"Yeah, there's no way that could be you, Obito," he said breathily. "You don't know any words longer than two syllables, after all."

"Hey, you know what?" Obito shot back, raising a single finger and showing it to Kakashi. "Fuck you."

The exhausted, wounded ANBU couldn't resist a weak laugh at that.

"You never change, Obito," he said. "It was always way too easy to get under your skin."

"Kakashi."

The serious tone got Kakashi's attention immediately, and he looked up again to see that Obito still had his finger up.

"You think I'm joking?" he asked, his voice now as hard as flint and equally scathing. "Seriously. Fuck you."

"What… what are you babbling about, you idiot?" Kakashi shot back, but his voice came out too thin and frail to be insulting.

"What do you think?" Obito challenged. "Look at yourself. All it took was one _Genjutsu_, and you're on death's door. A _Genjutsu_, Kakashi. He didn't even have to lift a finger to kill you. Is that the strength of the genius that became a _Jonin_ at 13? Is that the limit of the 'White Fang's legacy?

"What happened to your promise to me, Kakashi? Didn't you say you were going to protect Rin? Didn't you just promise _sensei_ that you were going to follow him into exile? Didn't you promise him that you were going to look after Naruto if he ever couldn't? How can you do all of that if you're dead?!"

Obito's words cut deep, but Kakashi couldn't change the fact that this _Genjutsu, Tsukuyomi,_ had broken him. How was he supposed to move in all of this pain? He could barely breathe, let alone get up and walk.

"Oh, come _on_," the Uchiha ghost exclaimed. "Do I have to spoon-feed you everything, Kakashi? You don't need to do anything more than reach into your belt-pouch and pull out one of _sensei's_ fancy _kunai_. Once he gets here, I'm sure he'll think of some way to take care of this."

If he wasn't dying, Kakashi would have smacked himself in the face for being stupid enough to be shown up by Obito, of all people. But the guy was right; if he could live just long enough summon the Hokage here, it would all work out. Forcing one of his arms to move and guiding it down to where the _kunai_ waited, he took hold of one of the tagged _Hiraishin_ blades and withdrew it, keeping his awareness together long enough to slam the blade into the ground next to him.

"There we go," Obito said, his voice no longer scornful. "Was that so hard, Kakashi?"

"Yeah, actually," the ANBU ninja shot back, "it was. And no matter how many times I tell myself this is just a _Genjutsu_ screwing with my _chakra_, Obito, that doesn't change the fact that my brain is about to shut down on me."

But there was no reply. Obito-- or whatever he had been-- was gone, and Kakashi was alone again as the darkness fell again to take him, swirling over his mismatched eyes and clouding them shut.

* * *

Minato walked through the halls of Konoha's main administrative building with slow, deliberate paces; he was in no hurry to reach where Danzo and the Elders were waiting to speak with him. The Hokage knew now beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were plotting something; he hadn't heard anything from the Uchiha village's usual lookouts or guardsmen when the time had come for their nightly report, which met that they were probably all dead. Danzo had been way too compliant with him during the earlier meeting, as well—for someone like him to so readily cede an argument, it had to mean that there was an ulterior motive he was trying to disguise.

And knowing Danzo, that motive was probably nothing that ended well for his enemies. Minato didn't think that the Elders and Danzo alone would be enough to seriously harm him, let alone take his life, but it never hurt to be prepared.

_Six minutes down_, he thought to himself as he stood at the door to the Council's main chamber. _I still have four minutes before Kakashi uses the _Hiraishin_… if he can, that is._

Minato slid the door open, walking calmly in to face the two Elders and Danzo as they sat behind a long oaken desk.

"Hokage-sama," Homura addressed him, "this is a surprise. To what do we owe your company?"

The Hokage didn't fail to notice that the two Elders were flanking Danzo on either side while the old, one-eyed ninja sat in the center—clearly, these two had already all-but appointed Danzo as the next Hokage.

But that was still contingent on the current Hokage leaving the post, and Minato wasn't about to just step aside.

"I figured you were smart enough not to ask questions you already knew the answers to, Homura," Minato replied, his blue eyes staring right at the Elder, "but I guess I gave you too much credit. Surely Danzo here let you in on his plan, didn't he?"

"I do not know what you're referring to, Hokage," the old man snapped back, "but I am insulted that you would even imply I was involved in some kind of conspiracy to remove you from your position!"

Minato's mouth twisted into a cold, predatory smile at that, and he was pleased to see Danzo's expression stiffen as he caught on to where Homura had slipped up.

"I never said you were conspiring to _overthrow_ me, Komura," Minato said with a sly edge to his voice, "only that you were conspiring. But thanks for letting me in on the scheme anyway, old man. Figured you'd be sharper than to fall for the oldest trick in the book after so many years. There I go, giving you too much credit again."

"You insolent bastard—!"

"Homura, hold your tongue!"

Danzo's words rang powerfully in the small room and the Elder fell silent, even as his eyes continued to smolder with contempt and hate from behind his glasses.

"Oh? What do we have here?" the Hokage asked in feigned shock, his eyebrows arching as he shifted his gaze to pin Danzo and smirked. "Looks to me like the ringleader is finally showing his true colors."

Danzo smiled, an icy confidence in his single eye that managed to make Minato uneasy even though he knew that Danzo no longer had the element of surprise.

"I guess it can't be helped now, Namikaze," the old, one-eyed ninja said in a gravelly voice. "But since all of my cards are out on the table, it makes little difference."

Minato's eyes narrowed, but he suppressed the urge to leap forward and fight the man who had been plotting against him for as long as he'd been Hokage.

"I assume you sent Root into the Uchiha village to burn it to the ground; am I wrong?"

"Not at all, Namikaze," Danzo answered, the warped smile never leaving his face. "As expected, your mind is sharp as ever. But if you're planning on tying Root to me, I think you will find that it is quite impossible to do so."

"And why would that be, exactly?" the Hokage pressed, trying to keep Danzo talking as he counted down the minutes in his head.

_Just three more to go, now…_

"Because not only are the members of my faction of ANBU trained to be silent until death, boy," Danzo said, "but they are all branded with a _Juinjutsu_ on their tongues that strips them of their voices and the use of their limbs should they ever speak so much as a word that betrays me."

"Is that all?" Minato countered, a hard edge of humor to his question. "Well, that's not so bad; I know someone who happens to be particularly good at breaking seals, Danzo. What I really want to know, though, is how you were planning on framing _me_ for the massacre… I assume that's what you're going to try to use to impeach me, at least."

Danzo's smile widened.

"Who ever said anything about _impeaching_ you, Hokage?" the ancient ninja asked. "There are plenty of ways to remove someone from a position of power."

Minato grit his teeth at the implication of those words, but before he could draw a _kunai_ from his waist or make a hand seal, Danzo spoke again.

"And don't tell me," he said with open scorn, "that you honestly assumed Root was the only prong of my attack on the Uchiha."

"What?" the Hokage asked acidly, wondering just how much he'd been blind to. "What the hell are you talking about, Danzo?"

"I am saying, Yondaime Hokage-_sama_," Danzo spat back with complete disrespect for the title, "that not even someone as powerful as you can stop what has begun tonight. I assumed you would have a counter prepared for Root, and so I took pains to enlist the cooperation of the one man alive in this world without an equal:

"Madara Uchiha."

Minato's eyes shot open wide in surprise as he heard the name, but there was nothing in Danzo's words or his expression to suggest that he was lying.

"Madara… Uchiha?" the Hokage repeated, his steely voice now tinted with disbelief. "Are you insane, Danzo? That man is dead, and he's been dead for decades. Hashirama Senju killed him in their duel at the Valley of the End years ago."

"Believe what you wish," the ancient ninja replied sternly, "but I can tell you that I have seen his _Sharingan_ with my own eyes; he is still very, very much alive."

Minato frowned as he tried to grasp the depth of Danzo's delusions and failed, but for the sake of using up more time he decided to go along with it.

"Even assuming he is alive, though," the Hokage said, "that man held a grudge against Konoha almost from the day it was founded all those years ago. What makes you think he would possibly aid you, when his ultimate goal would no doubt be the destruction of Konoha?"

"Because he is not what he used to be, Namikaze," Danzo answered. "His fight with Hashirama no doubt weakened him severely. But even discounting that, his greatest potential weapon has been sealed away, thanks to you and your lover, Kushina. Any threat he may have once been to Konoha or to me is now nullified."

"Do you mean to tell me…" the Hokage began, his incredulity fading to be replaced by pure hatred, "that the ninja I saw on that night controlling the _Kyuubi_ was Madara Uchiha, that you knew this, and that you did nothing to warn me whatsoever?"

Danzo's smile widened even further, and somewhere in the back of his mind Minato wondered if the old man's face was going to split in half from the strain.

"That is exactly what I mean," the ancient ninja said, his posture bleeding smug superiority and unshakable confidence. "And now it seems as though you've accepted my words as truth. So I can only wonder, Yondaime Hokage: with the Uchiha village quickly turning into a smoldering ruin, one or both of your prized subordinates dead and your son Naruto rushing headlong towards the village because he's seen the smoke pouring out of it and he's worried about his friend Sasuke…

"Don't you have somewhere else you think you should be right now?"

Minato felt the force of Danzo's masterstroke slam into him so hard he almost lost his balance, but his years of training helped him to maintain his focus even now.

"As soon as I'm done putting the ghost back in his graves," he said, his voice low and threatening and deadly serious, "I'm going to do what I should have done a long time ago, Danzo. That's a promise."

Danzo said nothing, and a heartbeat later the Hokage felt the tug of an activated _Hiraishin_ in the corner of his mind.

_Right on schedule._

Without another word, the Yondaime Hokage vanished from sight, leaving the Elders and Danzo alone.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Danzo," Koharu said after a moment, her small eyes fierce as they glared at him. "Hobbled or not, someone like Madara Uchiha is not an entity to be taken lightly!"

"Do not trouble yourself with him, Elder," Danzo countered tersely, "and instead focus on the business of choosing the Hokage who will succeed Namikaze. Madara Uchiha is an old, lame fox, withered and blind and fangless. He can do us no harm."

"For all of our sakes, Danzo," Homura spoke up, "I pray you are not mistaken."

* * *

The first thing Minato noticed as he appeared at the site of the _Hiraishin kunai_ that Kakashi had used was the silence. It was total and deathly, sitting thick on the air and suffocating even the tiniest of insects.

The second thing he noticed was that Kakashi was barely breathing.

It looked like he'd been put under some kind of _Genjutsu_, one powerful enough to bring him to the very brink of death. And Minato could tell just by sensing his former student's _chakra_ flow that if he didn't do something right away, Kakashi's brain would be broken down beyond the point of regulating his involuntary muscles. His breathing would stop completely, and his heart would cease to beat.

He would really die. And that was something that, as both ANBU Supreme Commander and as Konoha's Hokage, Minato could not let happen. Kneeling down beside Kakashi, he channeled a massive amount of _chakra_ into his hands and held them over Kakashi's chest. This would be a _Jutsu_ only a few steps removed from the _Kisho Tensei_ _Kinjutsu_, the technique that traded the user's life for the revival of someone recently deceased. Fortunately for Minato, however, because Kakashi was not yet dead, he would not have to sacrifice his life to resuscitate him. But it would still use up a lot of _chakra_, not to mention some of his own life's energy, and leave him vulnerable for quite a while.

Still, it wasn't like he could let his old student just die on him, now could he? Jiraiya-sensei would never let him hear the end of it; that was for sure. Minato stayed focused as he performed the _chakra_ transfer, willing the process to continue even as he felt himself get weaker and weaker. He gave a drawn smile as he saw Kakashi's eyes open back up again, the mismatched pair of black and red that had given him his nickname.

"_Sensei?_" the wounded ANBU soldier asked, his eyes still slightly blurry. "What're you doing here?"

Minato's strained smile widened at the question and he chuckled, wondering with inward concern just what Kakashi had been through in that _Genjutsu_ to scramble his brains so badly.

"What do you mean, what am I doing here?" the Hokage shot back. "You activated that _Hiraishin kunai_ of mine, right?"

"Yeah," Kakashi mumbled, "I guess I did."

Minato took a few moments to re-balance his _chakra_ as much as he could, but before he'd used up too much time doing that he spoke again to his former student.

"Listen, Kakashi," he said sternly, "I'm going to need you to tell me about whoever it was that put you under that _Genjutsu_. I need to know who they were, what they did and how they did it."

But someone else answered the questions before Kakashi could respond.

"It was Madara Uchiha, Hokage-sama," Itachi's voice broke in through the silence. "He used the _Mangekyo Sharingan's Tsukuyomi._"

"And how do you know—?" Minato began to ask as he turned toward the source of Itachi's voice, before he saw the Uchiha's eyes and stopped cold.

"Itachi, your _Sharingan_—it's changed," he sain in mild surprise, and Itachi nodded.

"Yes," he said after a moment, "it has. This is the evolved form of the _Sharingan,_ Hokage-sama: it holds _Jutsu_ that no one can counter, except another Uchiha strong enough to also possess the same improved _Sharingan._ That is the _Mangekyo Sharingan's_ power."

Kakashi forced himself to his feet, and the Hokage rose with him. Before the trio could begin to plot their next move, though, another new voice called out from the shadows.

"So I see you killed Shisui after all, then," Madara Uchiha said dispassionately, "Itachi."

"Unfortunately," Itachi shot back, "but he left me with something in exchange. A weapon to counter your _Mangekyo Sharingan,_ Madara."

The ancient Uchiha laughed, scorn and disdain clear in his voice as he replied.

"You would compare your newly-awakened eyes to my Eternal ones, Itachi?" Madara challenged. "That's absolutely absurd. If you care to test them out, however," he finished, "I will not stop you from rushing to your death. The time of the Uchiha clan has passed, and it is only right that you should go with it."

"Itachi!" Minato shouted, seeing the ninja's fists clenching at his sides. "Don't be reckless!"

Madara looked over to the Hokage and his one visible eye narrowed, his posture shifting from casual to tense in an instant.

"It's been a long time, Yondaime," the old Uchiha said. "Almost a decade, if memory serves. I believe you and I were interrupted before we could conclude our duel that night."

"Are you saying that you're looking for a re-match?" Minato asked, a gleam springing back into his dull eyes as he walked forward. "If that's the case, Uchiha, I'm not stopping you."

"Are you serious?" Madara said, his _Sharingan_ keenly taking note of the _chakra_ within his opponent. "You can barely stand, Yondaime, let alone fight someone like me. If you really want to die, there are a lot less bothersome ways I can think of accommodating your wish."

"_Dad!_"

All four of the adult ninja froze at the sound of the stricken child's voice, and one by one they looked over to see Naruto standing there, doubled over and gasping for breath.

"Is that what I think it is, Yondaime? The new vessel of my old pet?" Madara asked to break the silence, his voice malicious. "Did you seriously turn your _own son_ into the _Kyuubi's Jinchuriki_? What kind of a father are you?"

"One who doesn't need to hear lectures from you of all people, Madara," Minato seethed. "Not after you just aided the massacre of your entire clan. Kakashi!"

"Yes, sir?"

The Hokage looked from Naruto to his subordinate and back again, his eyes lingering on his son for a few heartbeats that seemed to stretch into minutes.

"Get Naruto out of here, away from Konoha, and keep him safe. Itachi, go with him—and take Sasuke with you as well."

The two ANBU soldiers stood immobile for a moment, and Minato's next words came out as a shout.

"What the hell are you two waiting for? I just gave you an order! Now get moving, all of you!"

Kakashi and Itachi seemed to be jolted back to their senses by the final order their superior would ever give them, and they both nodded and sprung into action. Kakashi scooped up Naruto under one of his arms as he ran, trying to block out the kid's screams of protest as they ran out in the night.

"What are you doing, Kakashi!? Don't run away, go help him! My dad's going to die if you just leave him there! Don't you get it? He can't beat that guy on his own! Just leave me here and go back; I can escape by myself!"

"Naruto, _enough_!"

The two words alone were enough to compel Naruto into silence with the force they carried, and the child was still as Kakashi continued.

"Your father is fighting back there to give us time to escape, don't you understand that? Madara Uchiha wants the _Kyuubi_ sealed inside of you— if he gets it, he'll probably use it to destroy all of Konoha, your friends included. Your father gave me a direct order as Hokage to keep you safe, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. You don't want his death to be in vain, do you?"

Naruto shook his head, fully aware that in doing so, he was surrendering to the fact that his father was going to die. Like his mother, his father would become nothing more than a face in old photographs. He would never see him alive again after tonight.

_Dad,_ Naruto thought as his fatigue finally caught up to him and he began to pass out, _I will avenge you._

_I promise._

* * *

**A/N:** Whew, that was intense. And even though I'm sad to see the Yondaime go, hopefully his sacrifice will not be for nothing.

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter (apologies for its massive length, but I couldn't think of any place to split this up)! Oh yeah, and **please review.** It's really awesome to hear from you guys, and every bit of feedback helps keep me motivated to write more. So really, we both win. What more could you want?

Also, big thanks go out to **JasoTheArtisan** for giving this chapter a looksee, as well as to **blekmedelninjan **and **Traitor-Hero** for their consistently awesome and awesomely consistent reviews. You rock.

See you next chapter!


	4. Taking Flight

**Ripples, Arc I: Fate**

**Chapter 4:** Taking Flight

* * *

Naruto had expected to wake up in an inn somewhere, or maybe on his back on the ground staring up at the open sky. Or maybe, in his wildest dreams, to wake up and see his father again and realize that his death had just been a bad nightmare.

But Naruto saw none of those places as he opened his eyes. Instead, he was greeted by an odd smell that filled his nose, reeking of bile and decay and something else that the young ninja couldn't quite identify. The closest thing he could think of would be hatred, if the emotion could even have a smell.

"What the hell are you doing here, brat?"

The loud voice boomed down on Naruto from above him, and he looked up to see that in front of him was a gate: a massive barrier, made up of iron bars that stretched up as high as his eyes could see. In the middle of the gate, there was fixed a single piece of paper with the word "_Seal_" written on it.

And behind this gate, there were two eyes.

They were gigantic red spheres with slit, black pupils in the middle, surrounded by dark orange fur that was barely visible thanks to the glow the eyes were giving off. These, Naruto assumed, were the eyes of the beast that was dwelling within him.

The eyes of the _Kyuubi._

"Well?" the _Kyuubi's_ voice boomed again. "Are you going to answer the damn question, or just waste my time standing there looking like an idiot?"

"I—I don't know what I'm doing here," Naruto managed to get out after swallowing his fear, almost totally paralyzed in the face of so much raw power. Even sealed and at half-strength, the _Kyuubi_ was an unrivaled force of nature. "I just kind of… wound up here, I guess."

"God damn it," the demon fox cursed sharply, "that bitch sealed me inside a real fool, after all. Listen, kid," the beast said, "you're standing in the middle of your soul right now. This is where I'm trapped, damned to spend the rest of my days with a deficient runt like you as my only company. You called yourself here for a reason, or else you wouldn't be standing in front of me right now. So I'll ask you one more time, before I break these bars down and flay you alive:

"What do you _want_?"

The sight of a gargantuan claw lashing out through the gaps in the bars scared Naruto back to his senses, and he scrambled to think of something to say.

"When that guy," he began hesitantly, "that other one with the _Sharingan_, who stayed behind to fight my father—"

"Madara Uchiha," the _Kyuubi_ spat, its rage for once directed at someone other than Naruto. "The one being in existence that I despise more than your parents. What of that miserable, pathetic cretin?"

"He said that you were his old 'pet'," Naruto continued, his voice gaining strength as his confidence returned to him. "What was he talking about?"

The _Kyuubi _snarled, its fangs gleaming like guillotine blades in the dim light.

"You came here— and disturbed my sleep— to ask me _that_!?" The demon fox roared. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just eat you right now!"

But Naruto refused to give ground, anger augmenting his willpower as the memories of the previous night returned to him. Naruto hadn't been able to do anything to help his father, and that man, Madara, had insulted the Hokage for sealing the _Kyuubi_ away in his own child. Insulted the man whose sacrifice had saved not only Naruto, but Kakashi-san, Itachi-san and Sasuke as well.

"He said that you were his old 'pet'," Naruto repeated, his eyes hardening, "and even someone as idiotic as me knows that all pets have masters. So Madara was your master, then?"

"_Silence!_" the _Kyuubi_ roared, and Naruto smirked as he knew he'd hit a nerve. "No one rules over me, you little worm," the _Kyuubi_ hissed. "No one has dominion over my powers except for me! Not you, not the Yondaime, and not even that damn Madara Uchiha! Do you understand that, you worthless brat?!"

Naruto said nothing, letting himself fade out of the strange space in his soul and return to the quiet darkness of sleep. He had the answer to the question that had brought him to the _Kyuubi_ instinctively, and that was enough for now.

He knew the monster inside of him could be controlled. Now, it was just a matter of figuring out how to do it.

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha woke up with the dawn, utterly indifferent to the sight of a new roof over his head. His eyes were open, but saw nothing; his vision was still clouded by his nightmares. His mother's face, and the look in his father's eyes… they were still as vivid as they had been the night before, staring up at him with confusion, betrayal and hatred.

The orphaned Uchiha let his feet carry him numbly to the door, sparing no more than a brief glance back over his shoulder at the ninja who slumbered on in the bed next to his: Naruto Uzumaki, his only friend left alive apart from Itachi. Sasuke made his way down the rickety wooden stairs and into the large room that served as a dining hall, quickly locating Kakashi and his brother sitting across from each other at one of the far tables. He walked over and took a seat on the bench next to Kakashi, staring impassively at the plate of food that was put in front of him without saying a word.

"Sasuke," Itachi spoke after a moment, quietly but insistently. "Let it go."

The younger Uchiha finally reacted to those words, his fist that was visible on the table clenching tightly.

"How can I do that, nii-san?" he asked, his voice as strained as the look in his eyes. "After what I did, how can I just forget that it happened?"

Itachi shook his head once, taking a bite of food before continuing.

"I'm not telling you to forget it, Sasuke," he clarified. "There are lessons to be learned from everything we do, after all; even the things we wish with all of our hearts we had never done to begin with. What I _am_ telling you to do is accept your role in what happened, and not to put undo blame on yourself."

Sasuke grit his teeth, struggling not to scream or cry or both.

"But I deserve all of the blame, nii-san!" he shot back. "I couldn't stop that ninja from getting into my head, and then he used me to kill mother and father!"

"And you think you deserve blame for that, Sasuke?" Itachi countered evenly, his eyes sharp. "Tell me how you possibly could have prevented that from happening, little brother."

Sasuke couldn't come up with an answer to that, and it was Kakashi who filled the silence.

"There's only been one ANBU member in my lifetime who could perform mind-controlling _Jutsu_ that I know of," he said. "His name was Fu Yamanaka. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Danzo recruited him into Root."

"There was nothing you could have done to prevent that man's _Jutsu_ from controlling you, Sasuke," Itachi repeated, making sure his words were getting through to his sibling. "You are not to blame for what happened to mother and father. If anyone should be blamed, it's me; I was too slow in getting to you, Sasuke, and I'm sorry for that."

Sasuke said nothing for several heartbeats after Itachi had fallen silent, the younger Uchiha's eyes closed in thought. When he opened them, his earlier guilt seemed to be gone completely, replaced by steely determination.

"Is there any way," Sasuke began slowly, "to counter a _Jutsu_ of that kind?"

Itachi nodded.

"There is one way," he answered. "The _Sharingan_. Our clan's _Doujutsu_ is powerful enough to avoid or outright break free of a technique like the Mind-Body Switch."

Sasuke's mouth twitched up at the corners in a minuscule smirk, a spark back in his eyes for the first time since the massacre.

"Then you'll just have to teach me how to use it, nii-san," he said matter-of-factly. "Because I'm not going to get caught by a _Genjutsu_ like that ever again, if there's a way to avoid it."

Itachi nodded again, inwardly relieved that Sasuke at least seemed to have reconciled himself with their parents' deaths. Worry still gnawed at the corner of Itachi's mind, though; he knew Sasuke had been scarred deeply by his trauma, and it wasn't unlikely that the calm he had affected was nothing more than a facade.

"I'll teach you how to use the _Sharingan_ in good time, Sasuke," Itachi said, keeping his voice level to mask his inner doubt over his brother's emotional stability. "First, you need to learn how to completely control the flow of your _chakra_; once you can do that, the _Sharingan_ will come naturally."

The younger Uchiha stayed quiet, at last beginning to eat his breakfast.

"Itachi," Kakashi spoke up as he sipped at a mug of tea, "how long do you think it will take the Elders to appoint a new Hokage?"

"If I had to guess, Kakashi-san," Itachi answered after a moment, "the Elders are already planning to appoint Danzo as the Godaime Hokage. And even if the Sandaime tries to stop them, the Elders would still have the final say in the matter of succession. That's the way the laws were written, after all. The only thing left for them to do would be go through the formalities, and that would take two days; three at the most."

"And once Danzo's in charge," Kakashi finished gloomily, "he'll put us all down in the Bingo Book as criminals before we can so much as blink."

"Exactly."

Kakashi finished off his tea and sighed, his eyes looking more sunken than Itachi had seen in a long time.

"And here I was looking forward to teaching a new crop of Genin in a few years, once the kids in Sasuke and Naruto's class graduate," he lamented. "I guess it's just not meant to be."

"Then you can teach me instead, Kakashi-san!"

The three ninja at the table turned their heads at the voice to see Naruto walking briskly towards them, a smile on his face.

"Well, you're certainly chipper today, Naruto," Kakashi deadpanned, wincing at the boundless energy that the boy seemed to possess, even at eight in the morning. "What gives?"

"I just figured something out, is all," Naruto answered enigmatically, before digging into his plate of food with utter abandon. Sasuke sneered, but when he spoke there was faint humor in his words.

"That's absolutely disgusting, you idiot," he said. "That dog over there has better manners than you."

"Maybe," Naruto shot back around a mouthful of food, not caring that bits of it were flying out as he spoke, "but I'm enjoying it more than he is, and that's what matters!"

Itachi gave a small smile at the young ninja's attitude; he got that from both of his parents, no question. But then the former ANBU captain's face became serious once more, the lines beneath his eyes deepening as he frowned.

"You two," Itachi said, addressing his brother and Naruto, "listen up."

Naruto and Sasuke stopped eating at once and turned to face Itachi, who paused to finish his own tea before continuing to speak.

"From now on," he said, "we're on our own. We can't go back to Konoha, for any reason. If we see anything or anyone affiliated with Konoha, we either fight, or if we can't win, we run. Even if one of our opponents is one of your friends from the Academy, you have to treat them as if they are an enemy. Is that clear?"

Both Sasuke and Naruto nodded, but Kakashi and Itachi could tell that the true weight of the situation hadn't hit them yet. And it probably wouldn't for some time, until one of their former friends was trying to cut their throats open with a _kunai_ blade.

"When we travel, we'll have to work to keep as low a profile as possible," Kakashi picked up for his comrade. "Danzo is going to put bounties out on all of us, and we can't afford to be recognized anywhere we go."

"B—bounties?" Naruto stammered, his eyes widening slightly in fear. "Even on me and Sasuke? But why? We're not even C-Rank yet! I can barely do a _Ninjutsu!_"

"And you think that matters, Naruto?" Itachi resumed, silencing the younger ninja with a look. "In Danzo's mind, each and every one of us four is either a threat to his security, or someone who will become a threat if given time to grow. And you especially, Naruto, are a danger to him. More specifically, that _Kyuubi_ sealed inside of you is dangerous; something Danzo cannot possibly afford to ignore."

Naruto fell silent again; he was eating his breakfast one bite at a time now, while he tried to understand just how his life had ended up like this. It had been thrown into chaos completely, in the space of just a single night.

"Naruto," Kakashi spoke up again. "Since Itachi is going to be training Sasuke, I'm going to do what you suggested earlier, and take you on as my student. But before you get all excited," he added, seeing the smile begin to spread across Naruto's face, "you should know that I'm going to teach you _my_ way. And that involves completely eliminating your weaknesses, and turning them into your strengths."

"My weaknesses?" Naruto asked, his gaze now more confused than excited. "What are you talking about, Kakashi-sa… I mean, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Well, for starters, think about what you did as soon as you came down those stairs a few minutes ago, Naruto," his new teacher replied. "You blurted out my name so loudly that anyone here who was hunting for us would have immediately figured out who we were.

"The absolute first thing you need to learn how to do is control yourself, unless you want us to get killed before we even leave the Fire Country's borders. _Jutsu_ and everything else comes later."

Naruto grit his teeth and looked like he was about to blurt out a retort, but he held his tongue in the end and nodded.

"I got it," he said. "Loud and clear, _sensei_."

"Good to hear," Kakashi said evenly. But beneath his calm exterior, the former ANBU soldier was torn. He hated himself for pushing Naruto to suppress his natural emotions before the kid was even ten years old, but he had no time to be a child anymore. Naruto had to be a true ninja from this day forward, or there was no way he would survive on the run.

"So, my question is," Sasuke broke in coolly, the look on his face far too focused for someone his age, "where do we go from here?"

"It makes the most sense for us to head toward Sunagakure, in my opinion," Itachi offered, and Kakashi made no objection. "Kumogakure is still bitter with Konoha after our war against them, but the treaty we have with Suna should grant us asylum as long as we get there before Danzo puts us in the Bingo Book."

"It would take us about four days to get there at the speed we're traveling," Kakashi observed, "and a new edition of the Bingo Book shouldn't be in wide circulation in Konoha for about two weeks, considering all of the red tape Danzo will have to deal with in his first days as the new Hokage. If we're lucky, the Kazekage will give us safe harbor until then, and we can always move on before the Book gets to him."

Itachi nodded, but his eyes widened in concern as Kakashi coughed and wretched a moment later.

"Kakashi-san, are you all right?" he asked, but the other former ANBU soldier just waved him off.

"I'll be fine," Kakashi said, but Itachi didn't believe him. His _chakra_ flow was still disturbed, most likely from the _Genjutsu_ that Madara had used on him; while the Yondaime had been able to save him from death, that _Jutsu_ hadn't been enough to completely dispel the _Genjutsu's_ effects.

"If we run into any enemies, Kakashi-san," Itachi said seriously, "don't fight them. Leave them to me."

Kakashi looked over at his friend, ready to argue, but was stopped short by the sight of Itachi's _Sharingan_.

"You need to focus on healing yourself before you can worry about others," Itachi continued. "I can't order you to stand down, because we're not in ANBU any longer and I'm not your captain. But I _can_ tell you that if you try to fight someone above Chunin-rank in your state, you're not going to win."

Part of Kakashi still wanted to argue the point, but he'd known Itachi long enough to admit that his friend would never lie to him just to keep him out of harm's way. If Itachi said he was too weak to fight effectively, it was the truth.

"Fair enough," he ceded, getting up from his seat with a short sigh. "Well, it looks like we're all done here; I paid for the rooms last night, so we can get going right away."

"We could," Sasuke spoke up, "but I think there's one more thing we need to do in this place first."

"Which is?" Itachi asked, and his younger brother smirked.

"Get new clothes," Sasuke answered, pointing at Naruto. "That idiot over there sticks out way too much with what he's wearing now."

"You little jerk—" Naruto began, but he was cut off by Kakashi's hand coming to rest firmly on his shoulder.

"Good idea," Kakashi agreed. "I saw a place on the way here that might have what we're looking for. We'll stop in there and stock up, but then we're going to have to hurry if we want to get to Suna in four day's time."

"What're we waiting for, then?" Naruto asked, his eyes burning with determination as he stood up, shrugging off Kakashi's hand.

"Let's go!"

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi walked through the halls of Konoha's main administrative building slowly, knowing what was waiting for him at his destination and wanting to postpone the moment for as long as possible. He had woken up out of a dead sleep last night during a terrible nightmare, only to find that the frame of the picture he had saved of Jiraiya with his students had cracked. The fracture in the glass had originated at the young Yondaime's face, a bad omen that had coincided with the Sandaime's nightmare.

And then he had received the urgent summons from his former teammates, the Elders, that morning. It was unlike Koharu and Homura to do anything urgently, and that just did more to confirm Sarutobi's already strong suspicions. By the time he had reached the door to the Council's chambers, he had already said his farewells to the spirit of the Yondaime.

"Hiruzen," Danzo began as soon as Sarutobi had stepped into the room, "I have some terrible news I must relate to you—"

"Spare me the theatrics, old friend," Sarutobi shot back, cutting Danzo off mid-phrase. "I already know what you are going to tell me. I just have one question I want you to answer, Danzo: were you at all involved with Minato's death?"

"No, Hiruzen," Danzo replied gravely, "I was not. The Yondaime was struck down by the Uchiha as he attempted to quell the beginnings of their revolt last night."

"Their 'revolt'?" Sarutobi echoed, his eyebrows rising. "Are you sure that's what it was?"

"I can understand your reluctance to accept this, Hiruzen," Koharu said, "but I doubt I am alone in my belief that your extreme desire to reach an accord with the Uchiha blinded you to the truth. Their hatred was too much to overcome, even for yourself and the Yondaime."

Sarutobi bowed his head, still unwilling to believe that there was nothing more to the Hokage's murder but lacking the evidence to make such an accusation.

"What of Naruto Uzumaki?" he asked, and all three fell silent.

"We've received word that Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake and Itachi Uchiha were all seen leaving the village last night under the cover of darkness, Hiruzen," Homura said at last. "We do not know yet what role they played in the events of last night, but as of now they are all declared missing-nin, and they are to be placed in the Bingo Book as protocol dictates."

Sarutobi felt like he'd been punched in the gut, but nonetheless he refused to waver.

"Are you serious?" he demanded, outraged. "Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun are children! They're not even Genin yet!"

"So you would propose we modify the law for their sakes, Hiruzen!?" Danzo countered, rising to his feet as he slammed his fists down on the desk. "What kind of precedent do you think that sets? If they had nothing to hide, they would have stayed in Konoha; one does not simply become a missing-nin for no reason!

"That is the kind of thinking that almost led to Konoha's defeat at the hands of Kumogakure, Hiruzen! Your constant seeking of conflict resolution through negotiation has brought nothing but harm to Konoha, by making our ninja indolent and used to peace. And now, that same ideology of yours has led to the death of the Yondaime Hokage, because he was too blind to see what was right in front of him!

"I am doing only what is in the best interest of Konoha, my friend," Danzo finished in a calmer tone of voice, slowly sitting back down. "Nothing more than that."

Sarutobi bowed his head anew in the wake of Danzo's tirade; he suddenly felt very weary, very tired and very, very old.

"I understand," he said at last, his voice low. "Have you two decided on the matter of succession yet, Koharu; Homura?"

The pair nodded as one.

"In light of your public efforts to reconcile with the Uchiha, Hiruzen," Homura answered, "and the cost of their equally public betrayal, it would be unwise for you to re-assume your former position as Hokage. Public backlash would most likely be quite strong, and we cannot afford instability at a time like this.

"That is why Koharu and I have decided to nominate Danzo as the Godaime Hokage. We are certain the Daimyo and the ranking _Jonin_ will agree."

Sarutobi felt something in the air shift at the pronouncement, and a sinking feeling in his stomach that told him hard times were on the wind for Konoha. Still, there was nothing he could do to stop Danzo's appointment, and arguing against it here would just make things worse.

"Very well," he said stoically. "I understand the reasoning behind your decision, and I can accept the merits of it. As always, my loyalty to Konoha is absolute; if you ever require aid from me of any kind, I will give it freely."

"And as always, such loyalty is appreciated, Hiruzen," Danzo replied, and Sarutobi bowed once before taking his leave. As he walked down the hallway once more, the Sandaime's mouth set itself in a firm line, and his dimmed eyes blazed again with some of their former brightness.

He knew Danzo, Homura and Koharu knew something they weren't telling him, and he was going to find out what it was. Being out of the limelight would actually be more of a help than a hindrance; this way, he could search for the truth without the encumbrance of the Hokage's many public responsibilities.

Sarutobi sincerely hoped that Danzo's militaristic instincts wouldn't lead Konoha to ruin. But if it came to the point that intervention was needed, he would stop his old friend: for both his own good, and for the good of Konoha.

Back in the office, Danzo's expression had knit itself into a frown almost identical to Sarutobi's, his single eye narrowing in suppressed anger.

_Hiruzen, _he thought to himself as his confidence wavered ever-so-slightly,_ just what are you playing at?_

* * *

**A/N: **Figured everyone could use a bit of a breather chapter after the last two high-intensity ones, so I slowed my roll on this one.

Hope you guys enjoyed it, and as always, **please review**; it's what keeps me on my game so I update faster. No reviews means my motivation to write instead of, say, being productive and doing schoolwork goes _way_ down, and nobody wants that. Thanks go out once more to **blekmedelninjan **and **Traitor-Hero**: those guys are champs.

One other announcement about this story, in case there's any confusion: This is the first 'Arc' of a much longer story. Meaning there's going to be an 'Arc II' when this Arc done next chapter. And an Arc III, and maybe even an Arc IV if I'm feeling crazy.

So fear not, if you think there's no way I can turn this around and everything's going to end on a downer note. This story's just getting started.


	5. Winds of Change

**Ripples, Arc I: Fate**

**Chapter 5:** Winds of Change

* * *

"Don't you think it's a bit strange?"

"Hmm? What was that?"

Itachi sighed, wondering just how it was that Kakashi could read those smutty novels of his in any place and at any time. He was convinced that if Kakashi had to choose between his book and his comrades, Kakashi would think about it for all of five seconds— before reaching for the book.

"I asked you if you thought it was strange, Kakashi-san," Itachi repeated, "that we've managed to go for three whole days without being trailed. I assumed Danzo would have at least sent an ANBU pursuit squad after us."

"It's not that surprising that he's keeping them inside Konoha, though, if you think about it," Kakashi countered, closing his book with a soft _snap_ and picking up a nearby branch, using it to stoke the flames of the small fire in front of them. "No doubt Danzo wants to make sure that his most elite soldiers are on standby, in case any rioting or civil unrest breaks out in the wake of the Yondaime's death."

"Perhaps," Itachi allowed, his eyes shifting over to the sleeping form of his little brother, propped up against the trunk of a tree. "But still, this makes me nervous, Kakashi-san," he finished, and Kakashi raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"You?" he said. "Nervous? I think that's the first time I've ever heard you admit that out loud, Itachi."

The Uchiha just shrugged, his dark eyes glowing by the light of the bright flame.

"Things change," he said shortly, and Kakashi stirred the kindling on the fire some more before glancing over at Naruto. The kid was sleeping soundlessly, and Kakashi was pleased that his training over the past few days had at least succeeded in getting Naruto to stop snoring like an ox when he slept.

"Fair enough," Kakashi said easily, stretching out his arms and sighing as he heard and felt his stiff shoulder joints _pop_ and resettle back into place.

"If you don't mind," he added, "I'm going to get some sleep myself; I need to make sure I'm on my game once we actually cross the border into Sunagakure tomorrow."

Itachi nodded, his eyes shifting effortlessly from their normal black to the burnished red of the _Sharingan_.

"Go ahead," he encouraged. "I'll take the watch until morning."

Kakashi nodded, slipping his forehead protector back down over his single _Sharingan_ eye.

"Thanks," he said, lying down on his back and looking up at the stars for a moment before closing his eye. "Hey, Itachi," he spoke after a moment, his voice pensive.

"Yes?"

"This 'Madara Uchiha'—how strong is he?"

Itachi shook his head, memories still all-too vivid in his head of the meeting he'd had with Madara on the night of his clan's massacre.

"I can't speak for his strength now," he said, "but I know that in his prime, Madara was capable of single-handedly challenging the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and could bring the Nine-Tailed Fox to heel like a dog."

"So tell me," Kakashi mused as he felt himself finally drifting off to sleep, "how the hell are we supposed to fight a guy that powerful?"

"That, Kakashi," Itachi said gravely, "I do not know. And that's what makes me nervous."

* * *

The four cloaked men stood silent in the small building, the light of the morning sun just beginning to shine down through the windows. As the minutes ticked by and nothing happened, the shortest member of the group spoke up at last: his voice was dry, sharp and above all, impatient.

"This is beginning to get on my nerves," the squat, hunchbacked man growled. "You know how much I hate waiting, Pain. Is this guy really worth it?"

The man with ashen skin, orange hair, a multitude of strange piercings on his face and the distinctive eyes of the _Rinnegan_ merely shot his comrade a sidelong glance at the question.

"In case you have forgotten, Sasori," Pain said after a moment, "this is a man who challenged the First Hokage and walked away from it alive. What more of an indication of his worth to this organization do you require?"

Sasori scoffed, but said no more. The next person to speak was taller than every other person present by far, the huge sword on his back a testament to his strength.

"If I may ask, Pain-san," Kisame Hoshigaki said with a slightly crooked smirk, "Where is Konan-san? Shouldn't she be here to welcome in the newcomer, too?"

"Konan is taking care of Amegakure in my absence, Kisame," Pain answered, his voice never changing tone. "There will be time for wider introductions later."

It was another few moments before the final member of the group of four spoke up, the red clouds on his black cloak shining faintly in the light.

"What I want to know," Orochimaru said smoothly as his snake-like, sickly yellow eyes narrowed, "is why we are even bothering to recruit new members at all. With the power that Akatsuki possess as an organization, why do we waste time dithering when we could be achieving our goals?"

"Dithering, Orochimaru?" Sasori repeated scathingly, his complete lack of respect for his comrade clearly apparent in his harsh tone. "It sounds to me like you've forgotten exactly what our goals are. If you want to go commit suicide by taking on a _Jinchuriki_ alone, though, be my guest."

"And it sounds to me, Sasori," the former _Sannin_ shot back, his usual malicious grin widening even further, "like you are under the assumption that we all have the same goal. Even if we might wear the same colors, presume to question me again and I will kill you."

Kisame chuckled as the tension built between the two Akatsuki members, while Pain did nothing. That tension was broken almost as soon as it had formed, however, by the appearance of a strange _chakra_ signature and the sound of an equally strange voice.

"I'll admit that I had my misgivings about joining up with any kind of organization," a man said in a deep voice as his shadow darkened the doorway of the room. "But if these are the kinds of people I'd be working with, count me in."

Pain appraised the man in front of him for a moment, the leader's gray _Rinnegan_ eyes taking in the odd nature of his _chakra_ at a glance. It was a mix of very high-level _Katon, Fuuton, Raiton, Suiton_ and _Doton chakra_, something that should have been impossible. When Pain focused harder and saw the reason behind the newcomer's abilities, his mouth turned up into a small, rare smile.

"As to be expected from the man who battled the First Hokage himself," he said with a hint of amusement. "Your reputation is certainly not unfounded, Kakuzu of Takigakure."

Kakuzu scoffed, his odd green pupils glimmering faintly from within the circle of his blood-red eyes.

"Takigakure is no longer my village," he said, gesturing to the forehead protector he wore and the slash running through the middle of it, "and it has not been for quite some time. I assume you are the leader of 'Akatsuki', then?"

Pain nodded. "I am he."

Kakuzu's gaze passed quickly but searchingly over the faces of the other three ninja present, and he gave a satisfied grunt as he finished.

"Normally, I would be against the idea of splitting profits with anyone," Kakuzu said, "but considering the kind of group this is, I have a feeling that combining resources would do much more to increase profits than it would to lessen them. If it is of interest, I have several bounty contacts in the criminal underworld that could be used as sources of revenue."

Kisame laughed, his rows of jagged teeth glinting in the sunlight as he did so.

"Looks to me like the new guy's pulling his weight already."

"There is one thing I should tell you, though," Kakuzu added, his eyes narrowing. "I have no tolerance for stupidity. If one of you crosses me or interferes in whatever mission I may be carrying out, I _will_ kill you."

Kisame laughed again, his eyes now glinting along with his teeth as bloodlust rose up within them.

"I'm liking this guy more and more, Pain-san," the Monster of the Hidden Mist said gleefully. "Stick him with me; it'll be nice to have a challenge around for a change."

Sasori grunted disdainfully at the words, his tail uncoiling itself from beneath his cloak and arching tensely.

"You couldn't turn down a fight if your life depended on it, Kisame," the hunchback growled. "Need I remind you that a large portion of our success will rely on _stealth_?"

"Sasori," Pain broke in flatly, cutting him off, "that's enough. For now, Kisame and Kakuzu will work in a pair; if either of them lets their temper overcome their better judgment, then clearly they were not suited for working in this organization to begin with."

"Astute, as always," Orochimaru jibed with a smirk, his tongue slipping out from his mouth to pass over his lips before vanishing as quickly as it had emerged. "So, how much more time must we spend strengthening our ranks, Pain? I grow tired of our inaction."

"Your sentiments are as well known to me as they are utterly immaterial, Orochimaru," the leader of Akatsuki shot back, his eyes conveying the clear threat that his calm voice lacked. "We will recruit as many ninja as are needed to accelerate the _Gedou Mazou_ to its peak efficiency, no matter how long it may take. That's all there is to it; if you find our preparations so loathsome, you need only hand over your ring— just know that your life is forfeit along with it."

Orochimaru grit his teeth and said nothing, while Sasori's dry, cackling laugh filled the room.

* * *

Danzo stood on the wide, open balcony behind his office and took in the view, Konoha shining proudly below him in the morning sunlight. The black spot that had once been the Uchiha village would fade in time as new buildings took the places of the destroyed ruins, and soon enough it would be as if the Uchiha had never even existed at all.

And Danzo wouldn't have had it any other way.

"I must say that I'm impressed, Hokage-sama," Homura's voice broke into the Hokage's solitude, and Danzo turned to look at his advisor. "You managed to turn the Yondaime's death from a negative into an overwhelming positive, at least as far as your standing with the people of Konoha is concerned. That's no small feat."

The Hokage gave a short laugh, his mouth twisting up into a smile.

"Hardly, my friend," he said. "Every situation can be manipulated, every heart swayed; all that matters is how you present the situation. People are easily led to believe whatever you tell them to be the truth, because to dig deeper requires too much thought, and can yield unintended consequences.

"For example: now, thanks to the image I presented of Namikaze's most unfortunate demise, not only does he die a hero. I also garner praise for my vows to succeed where his virtuous ideals so tragically failed, and protect Konoha from any other attacks, both internal and external.

"No one riots, no one protests my position, and no one reminisces back on the 'Glory Days' under Namikaze. That is because now all they see when they look back is the uncertainty of the Uchiha's loyalty, and the ultimate result of that clan's rebellious nature. In short, the Fourth's legacy is preserved just enough, but not to the point of becoming inspirational, and I am now the man that all of Konoha believes in to keep them safe.

"And all of this from a single speech, Homura. That is something I would consider a 'small feat', indeed; I have much larger ones planned. But first," the Hokage finished, "there is another, more… _domestic_ matter I must attend to."

Homura's eyes narrowed at the implication, immediately following his comrade's logic.

"You want to send the ANBU out after the four missing-nin?"

Danzo nodded, his expression shifting to serious as his myriad plans began to stretch out before him in his mind's eye.

"We need to find where they are, Homura, and what they're planning. Sooner rather than later— Itachi Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake are far too powerful to let run amok."

"Understood, Hokage-sama," the Elder said promptly, before retreating back inside and leaving Danzo alone again. The new Hokage took in the extent of his domain once more, his single eye hard and ruthless.

"You are weak," he whispered to the village, "and you have grown too used to the illusion of peace, while our enemies have been rebuilding their armies. I will re-awaken you to the state of the world, and ready you for war once again. It is the destiny of a ninja to fight: to bleed and to die in defense of their comrades on the field of battle, so that their village and their nation may grow strong and prosper. That is your glorious destiny, Konoha, and it is the future I will lead you to without fail. I promise you this, as your Hokage."

Danzo sighed as he turned around, taking deliberate strides back into his office before sitting down at his desk and looking over the mound of paperwork in front of him. While becoming Hokage had carried a definite bureaucratic burden with it, the ability to completely control the course of Konoha's development far outweighed the cost of menial paperwork. And if it ever got too cumbersome, he could always simply delegate the paperwork to his assistants.

His eye glanced quickly over the current Academy roster, seeing nothing in the faces of the children in front of him but prospective soldiers. They would grow to become the force that would defend Konoha from its enemies, and ensure in turn that those enemies had no chance of ever attacking the village again by bringing the fight back to them.

Danzo had four years left until the current crop of Academy students graduated and became Genin, and between now and then he had to make sure that they would be ready to take on the responsibilities befitting a true ninja as soon as they earned their forehead protectors. Danzo swore to himself that his Konoha would not be the Konoha of Hiruzen or Namikaze; he had seen too many times the cost of such leniency. By training the new ninja to be soldiers as soon as possible, he would be protecting them from harm.

Danzo was sure some parents would object to his methods, and protest that he was robbing their children of their innocence.

_But they simply don't realize,_ the Hokage thought to himself, _how fallacious that point of view is. There is no innocence in this world that we have made for ourselves. To believe in such innocence is to live as a fool, and to die as one._

* * *

"Well, here we are," Kakashi said as the four travelers finally exited the woods and came face-to-face with the harsh, flat plain of Suna's desert. "If we're lucky, no sandstorms will crop up between now and when we reach the village."

"Which means there will be at least one, if not two," Sasuke replied laconically, and Kakashi sighed.

"At least _try_ to be optimistic here, Sasuke," he said dryly. "Who knows— you might wind up enjoying it."

Sasuke just grunted and shrugged, saying nothing more. Itachi spared his brother a concerned glance before closing his eyes, intent on using the last leg of the journey as time to train his new _Mangekyo Sharingan_. If Madara ever showed up again, Itachi needed to be able to at least break out of any potential _Genjutsu_ the older Uchiha might throw at him, if not outright avoid them.

Naruto hated awkward silences, but also knew better than to just start blabbering when everyone was on edge. Even if he held his tongue, though, that didn't mean Naruto's mind was sitting still as well. He was restless by nature, and if he had nothing to occupy his attention except for a bland landscape full of nothing but sand, he was going to go insane.

And so his mind wandered, passing through the memories of his friends back in Konoha. The ones who had approached him even though he was the _Kyuubi's Jinchuriki_, and not just because his father had been the Hokage. They were true friends, and the happiness of remembering their faces brought with it an equal measure of pain at the prospect of having to fight them.

There was Shikamaru, who would sooner let a wasp sting him in the arm and paralyze it for a day than make the effort of trying to shoo the insect away away; Kiba and his puppy Akamaru, who were always together and always looking for a chance to prove themselves; that kid with the fuzzy eyebrows, who couldn't do a _Ninjutsu_ to save his life but still worked harder than all of his classmates put together.

Naruto wondered how they were all doing, and he sincerely hoped that the next time he met them, it wouldn't be as enemies.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei."

"Hmmm?"

"Have you ever had to fight one of your friends before? I mean, _really_ fight them?"

Kakashi's book snapped shut, and Naruto knew he'd gotten his teacher's attention. He was quiet for a few moments, but broke the silence before long.

"There was one time," Kakashi said seriously, "when a group of our ANBU decided to go rogue. They thought that they stood to make more money by hiring out their skills as a mercenary group, rather than working with Konoha under the Yondaime's command. You remember them, Itachi?"

"Yeah," Itachi replied, his voice as pensive as Kakashi's and his eyes remaining closed. "Don't think I'll ever forget them. That was the mission that got me promoted to Captain, after all."

"True enough," Kakashi said. "Anyway, Naruto, it played out like this: Itachi, a few other ANBU members and I tracked down the fugitives to the building where they were holing up just outside of the Fire Country, and engaged them in combat."

"But wait a second," Sasuke broke in, thinking hard. "If you were outside of the Fire Country, doesn't that mean you couldn't do anything legally without starting a war?"

Kakashi's mouth turned up in a grim smile beneath his mask, and he gave a short nod.

"Good point, Sasuke," he answered. "That was impressive of you to recognize. And normally, you would be absolutely right. But ANBU is a different story. They're Black Ops, and don't care about the boundaries that stand in between them and their goals."

"But how can they get away with that?" Naruto spoke up, and it was Itachi who answered him.

"Because technically, Naruto, the ANBU doesn't exist," the older Uchiha explained. "If we get caught during an operation, our highest-priority order is to never say or do anything that would incriminate Konoha. The Hokage denies ever knowing we existed, and the village remains clean."

"That doesn't sound like any job I'd want to have," Naruto scoffed back. "Where's the glory in it?"

Kakashi's smile widened slightly.

"You'll understand, Naruto," he said, "when you're older. But let me get back to the story: Itachi, our team and I tracked down the rogue ANBU outside of the Fire Country, and when we were sure we had the element of surprise, we attacked."

Naruto kept waiting for something else to come, but his teacher simply remained silent.

"And?" he prompted at last, impatient. "What happened then?"

"What do you think happened, Naruto?" his teacher replied coldly, his voice never wavering. "We carried out our mission, and killed them all."

Naruto's eyes went wide with shock and he stopped walking entirely as he heard the response, standing still and staring at Kakashi in disbelief.

"What? Are you serious!?" he shouted at last. "You didn't try to negotiate first, or at least give them the chance to surrender? You just went in and killed them all!?"

Kakashi stopped walking as well at the question, and Itachi followed suit. The two former ANBU shared a glance that only lasted for a few seconds before Itachi nodded, picking up from where Kakashi had left off.

"That's what he said, Naruto," the former captain said. "This is a lesson that both of you need to learn now, and take to heart as soon as you can. Even if the people you are ordered to kill are your friends, your family or your lover, it is the fundamental duty of a ninja to be able to suppress their feelings and do what must be done to complete the mission at hand, for the benefit of their village.

"It might be a cruel truth, but it's a truth that Danzo will pound into your friends' heads until they wouldn't think twice about cutting open the throat of a missing-nin—even if that missing-nin is you."

While Naruto stood mute, too shocked by Itachi's words to respond, Sasuke spoke up and filled the silence.

"Danzo?" he asked, his dark eyes narrowing. "I've heard you mention that name before, nii-san. Who is he?"

"He's the man most likely to be chosen as the next Hokage, Sasuke," Kakashi answered. "He's also someone who has opposed the teachings of the Sandaime and Yondaime more fiercely than anyone else in Konoha. In his mind, any potential threat to Konoha's security must be dealt with swiftly, unerringly and with deadly force. That includes the four of us, unfortunately."

"What?" Naruto spoke up, finding his voice again. "_Threats_? Me and Sasuke? Sasuke hasn't even graduated the Academy yet!"

"Speak for yourself, you idiot," Sasuke growled, but Itachi silenced his brother with a look.

"You two might not be threats now, Naruto," Itachi said, "but given time, you could both grow to become incredibly powerful; more powerful than either Kakashi-san or myself, perhaps. And that's a risk Danzo does not want to take. You especially, Naruto, are a threat to Danzo," Itachi finished, his voice becoming pointed. "Thanks to the _Kyuubi_ sealed inside of you, that is."

"Thanks to the… _Kyuubi_?" Naruto repeated, confused. "Why would that matter? He's just a monster that sits in my head and insults me all the time!"

Kakashi shook his head, inwardly surprised that Minato hadn't at least told his son about the potential dangers he might face from the _Kyuubi_ in the future. But then again, the Yondaime probably hadn't considered that he might die before his son even became a Genin.

"No, Naruto," he corrected his student, "that's not it at all. Your father might not have told you this, but the _Kyuubi_ is one of nine Tailed Beasts that exist in this world. Each and every one of them is a monster made of pure _chakra_, and immensely powerful _chakra_ at that. The Tailed Beast sealed inside of you is the most powerful of them all, Naruto, and it's also the most malevolent. More than anything, it wants to break free of its seal and destroy everything that it can. Am I wrong?"

Naruto was almost overwhelmed by the revelation, but he was able to focus enough to shake his head.

"I didn't think so," Kakashi continued. "And as strong as the seal is that your father and mother created to trap the _Kyuubi_, every seal weakens over time. At some point, the _Kyuubi's chakra_ will begin to leak out and mix in with your own, and that is what makes you so dangerous in Danzo's eyes. The potential for destruction that you carry within you is immense, Naruto."

The _Jinchuriki_ remained silent for several minutes as the travelers walked on, but Kakashi could see the gears turning in Naruto's head behind his focused blue eyes.

"Are there other people out there like me?" the young ninja asked at last. "Are there other people that have Tailed Beasts sealed inside of them?"

"Several hidden villages have ninja who are hosts to Tailed Beasts and labeled as _Jinchuriki_, Naruto," Kakashi answered with a slight nod. "Sunagakure is one of them, although I couldn't tell who precisely who that _Jinchuriki_ is, because I don't know. The identity of a village's _Jinchuriki_ is always one of its most closely-guarded secrets, since most of them are treated as living weapons of incredible power, rather than normal ninja."

"That—that's not right," Naruto forced out between grit teeth, his hands clenching involuntarily at his sides. "I didn't ask for this, and I'm sure none of them did, either. Where do their villages get off treating them like that!?"

Kakashi made to say something else, but held his tongue when he saw the look in Naruto's eyes. It was a thorny topic indeed, and one that Naruto had been mercifully spared from thanks to his father. But Minato was gone now, and it was time for the Yondaime's heir to realize the true weight he would have to carry thanks to the _Kyuubi_ bound in his soul.

Sasuke pulled himself out of his own troubled thoughts long enough to look over at his friend, seeing the pain etched into Naruto's expression and knowing it like it was his own. The feeling of being looked down upon or judged solely on the basis of _what_ you were, and not _who_. It had been the fate of the Uchiha for all of Sasuke's childhood, and now it seemed as though it was Naruto's fate as well.

Naruto started as he felt a gentle pressure on his shoulder, and looked over to see Sasuke giving him the most openly supportive look he'd ever seen from his friend. The Uchiha's hand rested on Naruto's shoulder, the gesture communicating everything without the need for words. The _Jinchuriki_ managed a thin smile, glad for the reminder, however simple, that he wasn't alone in his struggle. His father had left him, but in his place the he had left Naruto with Kakashi-sensei, Itachi-san and Sasuke. As long as the four of them stuck together, Naruto realized, he wouldn't have to bear his burden alone.

"When we get into Suna," Itachi spoke up, his eyes opening again and regressing from the _Mangekyo Sharingan_ back to a normal _Sharingan_, "Kakashi-san and I are going to request an audience with the Kazekage. Sasuke and Naruto, you can either come with us or not; your choice. Just promise me that if you don't come with us, you'll keep a low profile. After the audience is done, we'll find you."

"I'll tag along," Sasuke answered immediately. "I could use a break from _chakra_ training, anyway."

Naruto groaned at the prospect of standing around forever watching a boring meeting crawl by, and shook his head vehemently.

"No thanks," he said. "I'll take my chances somewhere else."

* * *

Gaara didn't understand why everyone was afraid of him.

He knew that he had a monster sealed away somewhere inside of him, Shukaku, who was what controlled the sand he always carried around with him. But it wasn't like Gaara let the monster control him; he rarely, if ever slept, because that old lady Chiyo had told him once that if he ever went to sleep too often, Shukaku would take over his mind and drive him insane.

But even though he did so much to try to control himself, nobody seemed to care. All of the kids still stayed away from him in the streets, and when they played they always gave him a wide berth and never let him join their games. He'd even tried being nice by using his sand to fetch the ball for the other children a few times, but they just screamed and ran away.

Was it something else he did, that he just didn't notice? Gaara was running out of ideas; maybe his uncle, Yashamaru, knew something he didn't. But Gaara did know instinctively that there was a reason the other kids were avoiding him. And not knowing what it was, not knowing how to fix the problem—it cut away at him like a blade in his stomach.

Gaara didn't know how many afternoons he'd spent alone watching the sunset, using the solitude as an excuse to cry freely without worrying about anyone else seeing him act so weak. Not even Kankuro and Temari, his own brother and sister, seemed to see him as a real person. Gaara could tell that they were trying, but he could also plainly see the fear in their eyes whenever they looked at him.

It was like they saw the Beast inside of him, and not the face of their brother.

Gaara was lifted out of his somber thoughts by the sound of the usual horde of children laughing and yelping, coming towards him with their soccer ball. The _Jinchuriki_ quickly took up his normal position: far enough outside of the playing field to avoid being noticed, but not so far that he couldn't see what was going on. The game soon took shape and the kids were kicking the ball back and forth with glee like always, but Gaara had the strange feeling lurking in the back of his mind that something was different. A few minutes into the game, he finally figured out what it was.

There was a new face in the crowd.

The boy couldn't have stood out more if he'd tried: his blond hair shined in the sun, and his bright blue eyes were anything but focused, radiating reckless energy everywhere he seemed to look. Gaara could see the traces of something lurking behind the boy's eyes, though: something not so far removed from the agony that plagued him on a daily basis. But there was also something different about this boy: he had found a way to keep his loneliness at bay. He had found the answer to the question that Gaara was so desperately seeking.

_Maybe this boy could be my friend_, the _Jinchuriki_ dared to hope for a moment, before he was distracted by the shouting voices of the children. The ball had been kicked too wildly by one of the players, and was zooming right towards Gaara's head. He didn't have enough time to react, and expected the ball to slam right into his face.

But it didn't, as the sand that had given Gaara his nickname rose up instinctively and blocked the ball seconds before it would have broken Gaara's nose.

And then the murmurs began to start, just like they always did.

"It's him."

"_Subaku no Gaara._"

"He's scary."

"My daddy told me he's a monster."

"What's he doing here?"

"Why is he staring at us like that?"

"Stop staring, you freak!"

And then, just as Gaara was ready to run off as the pain and anger and confusion became too much for him to bear once again, a single voice rose up above the crowd. It was loud and brash and indignant, and belonged to the strange boy.

"What the _hell_ is wrong with all of you!?"

All eyes turned to face the blond-haired newcomer, whose blue eyes were blazing with rage as he took in breaths in big, ragged gasps to recover from his shout.

"What do you mean, 'he's a monster'?" the boy continued, looking over at Gaara. "He doesn't look like one to me, and I've seen monsters before. Why won't you let him play with you!?"

"Because he's a freak!" the same girl who had used the phrase before repeated, her voice even harsher the second time. Naruto whirled around on her, furious, and his gaze alone cowed her into silence. He grit his teeth and reached down to gather his shirt into his fists, lifting it up to expose the seal on his stomach.

"You know what, kid?" Naruto seethed. "So am I. I'm a freak, too. But that didn't stop you from letting me play with you, did it? So why is he any different!?"

The kids all began to quiver slightly in fear at the sight of such a ferocious boy. The knowledge that he, too, was a 'freak' only served to speed up their fleeing. As the dust settled from the children's hasty departure, Naruto took in deep breaths to calm himself back down before turning to face Gaara and walking towards him. When he'd gotten close enough, the _Jinchuriki_ grinned and extended his hand.

"My name's Naruto," he said happily. He showed no trace of his earlier anger, or of the hidden melancholy that Gaara had glimpsed, either. "What's your name?"

"Gaara," the other _Jinchuriki_ said after a moment, reaching out almost numbly to take the offered hand. Was he dreaming? This was the first time anyone had tried to approach him of their own will—maybe this kid really _did_ want to be friends with him, after all.

As Gaara's fingertips brushed against Naruto's, though, the red-haired boy felt a foreign _chakra_ course through him like an electrical shock. It was so fierce that it took all of Gaara's strength to merely stagger backwards slightly, rather than falling flat on the ground.

_That _chakra… the voice of Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast, hissed out from within Gaara's soul. _That killing intent… impossible! That was the _Kyuubi_!_

Gaara's teal eyes widened in surprise as he understood the meaning of Shukaku's words, and realized that even his Tailed Beast had been afraid of the monster lurking within this other _Jinchuriki_. He gave Naruto one last look, trying to make sense of the puzzle that the other boy presented, before Shukaku's sand whipped up around Gaara in a protective cyclone.

Naruto was forced backwards in turn by the sand, confused, but he never had the chance to ask Gaara what had gone through his mind in the moment before the sand had appeared:

By the time the cyclone had dissipated, the other _Jinchuriki_ was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Itachi, Kakashi and Sasuke made their way slowly but surely toward the Kazekage's headquarters in Sunagakure, making sure to keep the hoods of their cloaks up in order to avoid being identified. Sasuke hoped that Naruto had been prudent enough to avoid doing something noticeable, but the young Uchiha was not optimistic about that in the slightest.

Kakashi took the lead as the trio came to the guarded entrance of the spherical building that bore the emblem of Suna in its middle. To the surprise of all three Konoha ninja, though, the pair of guards stood aside and bowed before Kakashi even said a word.

"Welcome, Itachi Uchiha-san; Kakashi Hatake-san, Sasuke Uchiha-kun," one of them said in greeting. "The Kazekage has been expecting you."

"Has he, now?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow. The other guard nodded, his grim expression cracking briefly into a small smile.

"Word travels faster than bounty notices or Bingo Books, Hatake-san," he said. "We were aware of your impending arrival when you were still a half-day's journey outside our walls. And you might want to tell Naruto Uzumaki-kun to keep a lower profile the next time you see him—if he's trying to stay hidden, I don't think getting in a shouting-match with a bunch of other kids is the way to go about it. I take it he's Konoha's _Jinchuriki_, no?"

The guard's smile widened as the faces Itachi and Kakashi tensed at the question and Sasuke's fell, and the guard's partner laughed.

"Don't worry," the other guard said placatingly. "We know better than to meddle with the boy carrying the _Kyuubi_ sealed inside of him. Please come with me; the Kazekage doesn't like to be kept waiting."

The trio followed after the guard, Itachi and Kakashi on edge and ready to draw _kunai_ at a moment's notice. The walk was almost labyrinthine in the number of twists and turns it had, but Sasuke made it his priority to memorize the route as he walked it. It always paid to know the way out of a building filled with potential enemies, after all.

"Here we are," the guard spoke up as he stopped in front of a large iron door and pushed it open. "After you."

Kakashi, Itachi and Sasuke walked in, finally lowering their hoods as they came before the Kazekage. Sunagakure's leader took his hat off in kind, revealing a short-haired man with a hard, angular face. His eyes were keen, looking carefully over the faces of each of his visitors before he spoke.

"I know what has brought you here, ninja of Konoha," the Kazekage began tersely. "I know that Minato Namikaze is dead, and that the four of you were forced to flee your village in the wake of the slaughter of the Uchiha clan, a family that is now all-but extinct.

"I also know that Danzo Shimura is no doubt planning to put very high bounties on your heads, and soon. Money that Suna could benefit greatly from, indeed," the Kazekage continued. "But in spite of that, I'm not going to have the four of you killed. Would you care to know why?"

"I would assume it is because you believe that you stand to gain much more by keeping us alive, such as key strategic information concerning Konoha's defenses," Itachi offered up. "Am I wrong, Kazekage-dono?"

The leader of Suna merely smirked, shaking his head at the question.

"No, Itachi-san, you are not. Clearly, the famed perception of your clan goes beyond that _Doujutsu_ of yours.

"Yes, I intend to make you all an offer. Agree to swear your loyalty to me for as long as I require it, and I will refrain from both turning the lot of you over for your bounties, and from launching a full-scale assault against Konoha and grinding it down to dust. You may refuse, of course," the Kazekage added almost blithely, "but I have to caution you that such a response might provoke a rather… _unfortunate_ reaction from my guardsmen. To say nothing of the fact that the two kunoichi I have trailing Naruto Uzumaki are very, very good at carrying out their orders."

Armed and armored ninja stepped out of the room's shadows at those words, and Kakashi and Itachi knew that they'd been cornered. They might normally have had little trouble disposing of the rank-and-file soldiers, but with Sasuke and Naruto to worry about protecting and a threatening Kage in the room, the veteran Konoha ninja knew they had only one way out of this bind. The former ANBU soldiers bowed their heads in defeat, and the Kazekage grinned in triumph.

"Good decision."

* * *

**A/N: **And so ends Arc I of '**Ripples**'! I hope you guys enjoyed it, and **please review**; it means a lot, and it will get me writing Arc II that much faster.

_Also,_ since Arc II (and all subsequent Arcs, for that matter) is going to be a separate, new story, you might want to add me to _'Author Alert'_, just to make sure you get a heads-up when Arc II begins to post. Things are just starting up; this story's got a ways to go yet before it's finished being told. Arc II will probably also wind up being substantially longer than this Arc was, as well.

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you all for Arc II!

**jazzpha**


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